


Love Salvatore

by bettysnews



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Bachelor Party, Cheating, Exes to Lovers, F/M, Future Fic, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Riverdale, Sexual Harassment, Smut, Stripper Betty Cooper, Wedding, angst angst angst, bughead - Freeform, jughead is engaged to another woman, warning: bughead cheats with eachother, yes this ends in bughead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:07:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24995857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bettysnews/pseuds/bettysnews
Summary: It's five years after graduation, and Jughead is about to be a married man. His old college roommate, who is picked to be his best man throws him a surprise bachelor party. Everything seems to be going smoothly until the stripper shows up, and it turns out to be none other than his old high school girlfriend Betty Cooper.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 85
Kudos: 166





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you would like to see what Emily looks like, you can go to my tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/bettys-news and her pictures are under the hashtag #love salvatore !!

"Surprise!"

Jughead's blindfold was yanked off of him, and his eyes slowly adjusted to the environment around him. The harsh multi-colored lights blinded him, and the blaring music made his body tingle from the vibrations on the seat. He was in a limo surrounded by five of his closest friends from college, who were laughing as they raised their alcoholic beverages in the air and took a drink from them. Jughead was a bit confused as to what was happening at first, but the shot glasses, cigars, and mini party favors gave it away.

_It was his surprise bachelor party._

Jughead was getting married in a few weeks to Emily, a girl he met in his first year of college. The two met at a party and hit it off right away. Jughead was never the partying type, but his roommate Gunner convinced him to go the first weekend they were there. The three of them became good friends, and not long after, Gunner found a girlfriend named Jessica, and the four of them started going on double dates together. By late fall semester, Jughead and Emily made it official, and the two have been together ever since. A week after college graduation, Jughead proposed, and she accepted. It wasn't his initial plan to marry by the time he was 23. Truthfully, Jughead had always envisioned his future to be with his high school girlfriend, but devastatingly, the two got into a heated argument after their high school prom, which resulted in a deep-seated conversation about their future. They decided it was in their best interest to go their separate ways, and that was the last time Jughead had heard from her. He spent countless hours missing her when he went off to college, but the lack of communication forced him to move on, and luckily, Emily was right there. 

"Jones, chug this." Gunner handed him a silver flask, and Jughead stared down at it with a feared look on his face. "What is it?"

"I don't know." He gasped for air, shriveling his nose after chugging an entire beer can. "I think it's vodka. Who cares? Just drink it." Jughead unscrewed the top of the flask before bringing it up to his mouth and drank the contents of it. He immediately pulled it away from his mouth after the first gulp of liquid burned the inside of his throat, causing him to cough. "Oh, my god." He had a revolting look on his face as he wiped the excess liquid that escaped his mouth from his chin. 

"Don't be such a pussy," Gunner said as he smiled, then brought his fist up in the air aggressively. "Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" He chanted, and the rest of them chimed in. Jughead crinkled his nose and took a deep breath, preparing himself before he shoved it back to his mouth and gulped it down. The guys were cheering in celebration as they watched the 23-year old groomsman devour every drop. Jughead started to feel the burning sensation consume his head as he swallowed the last drop of alcohol. He pulled it away from his mouth and groaned at the extreme taste. "Fuck." He tossed the empty flask onto the seat next to him and leaned back against the backrest of the seat. "You guys suck."

"Yeah!" One of his other friends patted him harshly on the shoulder a couple of times. "How do you feel?"

"Like I have idiot friends." He smiled, and his body stayed slumped back against the seat as he observed the chaos in front of him. One of the guys was shifting through songs, trying to find one to fit the mood. 

"Dude, you're getting married!" Gunner plopped down on the seat in front of him and grabbed a champagne glass from its holder.

Jughead chuckled. "Yeah."

"That's crazy. How are you not freaking out right now?"

He shrugged. "There's nothing to freak out about."

Gunner grabbed a champagne bottle and popped the lid off. "Uh... yeah. You're gonna be tied down for the rest of your life." The liquid was fizzing out of the top, and he put his mouth over it to try to get it to stop overflowing.

"You and Jess are probably gonna get engaged soon. Right?" He asked.

"Maybe. I don't know. We'll see." He tipped the bottle over and poured some into his glass. "You brought champagne?" Jughead laughed. "Dude."

He nodded and held the glass out. "Yeah, here." He offered it to him.

"No. I don't drink champagne."

Gunner shrugged. "FIne. More for me." He held it steady, trying not to let it spill and slowly took a sip from the glass. Jughead shook his head and smiled in amusement, then quickly began to notice the effects of the alcohol start to take over. The vibration from the music buzzed in his ears, and he closed his eyes as he listened to the beat of the song drown in synch with his heart. The guys continued to converse with each other, and Jughead watched in awe as the drunken conversations played out in front of him.

About ten minutes went by, and the limo came to a complete stop. Jughead thought they were just at a red light, but that was quickly debunked when Gunner jumped out of his seat and scrambled over to his side of the limo. "Oh, fuck, yes. We're here," he said while looking out the tinted window. 

"What? Where's here?" Jughead asked as he forced himself to sit up.

"It's a surprise." Gunner grabbed the blindfold off the floor and wrapped it around Jughead's head. "Dude! What are you doing?" Jughead protested but was restrained by a set of hands as his best man proceeded to tie the blindfold.

"You're just going to have to trust us."

"Trust you?" Jughead snorted, then was quickly lifted off the seat. He was forced to stand and had his head tilted down, so he wouldn't bang his head on the ceiling as they directed him out of the limo. "What the hell is happening, guys?" Jughead felt the slight breeze brushing against his face, heard his shoes clacking against the concrete, and knew they were standing outside. 

"Can you see anything?" Gunner waved his hand in front of his eyes, trying to see if he would react.

"No," he retorted and proceeded to wait in silence -- oblivious to Gunner's funny dance movements he was performing right in front of him. The guys next to him chuckled, and Jughead sighed from being impatient. "What's happening now?"

The guys held back their laughs as they grabbed his arms again. "Nothing, nothing," one of them said, and Jughead was maneuvered towards the muffled music blaring inside a building.

"Where are we going?" The music got louder, and Jughead could tell a door had just opened. "Guys?" He heard commotion surrounding him and was suddenly shoved inside the building. "Guys!" Jughead yelled over the loud music and tried to squirm out of their grip, but was manhandled and pushed down into a chair. The music had an electronic dance beat to it, which made his heart start to race. Jughead then noticed a strong smell -- his nose crinkling at the overwhelming cloud of smoke and felt the urge to cough. Anxious about the environment, Jughead reached for his blindfold, curious to see what was happening around him and where everyone went. He was quickly stopped by a pair of hands. "No, no, no. Keep it on," Gunner said.

"Tell me what's happening!" He demanded. The music finally stopped, and the excitement in the room felt like it had tripled as he could hear the drunken commotion going on around him. "Okay, don't be mad at me, but I got you a stripper."

"You what?!" Jughead howled as he jerked in his chair and reached for the blindfold covering his eyes.

"No, no." Gunner stopped him from taking it off. "Keep your blindfold on."

"Why?"

"Because knowing you, you'll freak out as soon as she starts walking towards you. This way, you can't see what she's doing." He tried to hold back a laugh from escaping his mouth but failed. "You'll just feel her ass grinding against your lap." He spat out an airy laugh, and Jughead whacked the air, trying to hit him across his body, but missed. "Gunner!" 

He shielded his body and continued to chortle at his attempt. "I fucking hate you." Jughead continued. "You're gonna pay for this."

"No, dude, you love me, and you know it." He put his hand on his shoulder, and Jughead jumped slightly from the contact. "I told you not to get me a stripper."

"You really thought I would listen?"

He rolled his eyes under the blindfold. "I swear to god. Emily's gonna be mad."

"No, she's not. She's fine with it," he replied with a reassuring tone. They were interrupted by a set of cheering and whistling coming from the other guys. 

"Oh, shit. Here she comes. Stay in this chair and keep your blindfold on, so you're not awkward about it. Okay?" Gunner said and patted his shoulder. Jughead stayed silent, which made Gunner tap his shoulder again. "Okay?" He repeated himself, making sure Jughead heard him. 

"Yeah, whatever. Fine." He waved his hand, gesturing for him to leave him alone and let out a deep breath. He couldn't see anything through the blindfold except for a small ray of light that Jughead tried to focus on as the anticipation grew. 

Gunner had rented out the strip club for a few hours. It was just them in a room with a stage and a pole. Jughead was sitting in a chair positioned in the center of the room, facing the stage while the rest of the party sat in chairs encompassing him.

"On My Own" by Darci started playing on the overhead speaker and Betty walked out onto the stage. The lights beamed strictly on her, causing her vision of the six boys sitting in front of the stage to be obscure. She paraded across the stage in tall black stiletto heels, black high-waist lace panties, a matching lace bra, and thigh-high stockings. The blinding light drowned out their expressions, but their cheering and praise gave her confidence as she strutted to the pole. She grabbed it with one hand and wrapped her left leg around it and dipped her body back. She then used her leg strength to bring herself back up, pressing her front torso against the cold metal pole, grabbed it with both hands, and twirled her body around it. Her inner thighs pressed against the pole, heels just inches off the ground as she landed smoothly on her bottom. The trick earned a couple of cheers from her small audience, and she smirked before lifting herself back up to her feet.

She walked off the stage, stepping out of the spotlight and walked closer to them. Her attention turned to the body in the center of the group. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out the details on his face, and as she stepped closer, she noticed a blindfold covering his eyes. The ray of light shifted away from her vision, revealing the raven-haired boy right in front of her face. Her eyes widened as she drew in a sharp breath, inhaling the lingering smoke that clouded around them. 

_Jughead._

She stopped a few feet in front of him, then looked up at his friends -- seemingly oblivious to their correlation with each other. Her breathing quickened at the realization of him being the one getting married. The first thing she noticed about him was his chiseled features. He didn't look older, just manlier and more handsome than she remembered. The next thing she noticed was the missing beanie, and the sight of his dark luminous hair fall freely over the side of his face.

He was beautiful ... magnifying, and it caused her gut to ache. The thought of them together five years ago swarmed her mind, and the familiarity of that feeling made her heart flutter.

Here he was waiting for a lap dance from a stranger who was not merely a stranger, but he didn't know that. He was unmindful of her presence, and she wanted to keep it that way. So long as the blindfold stays adverting his eyes, he wouldn't know she was there.

He didn't need to know.

The music continued, and the agonizing silence coming from the guys as they waited for her to make her next move prompted her to resume her routine. She cleared her throat and shoved the awkward feeling aside as she told herself over and over that it was just a job, and he was just a client. 

She hesitantly put hands on both his thighs to let him know she was there, and his body tensed up. She saw him swallow harshly and could tell he was nervous. 

She started circling him as she dragged her hand across his chest, letting one of the buttons on his shirt scrape across her finger. She stopped in front of him again and turned, so her back was facing him. She squatted down, braced herself up on his thighs, and brushed her ass against his lap. She sat down, ground herself against him, and leaned back, pressing her shoulder blades against his chest as she brought her hand up to the back of his head. She rolled her hips in a circular motion, and Jughead's hands stayed planted at his side. 

"Touch her, Jones! Don't be scared." She heard one of them call out, followed by a few whistles.

Jughead let out an airy sigh in response, and she could tell he was uncomfortable.

Betty got off of him before turning back to face him. She kept one heel on the ground and brought her knee up to the empty space on his chair next to his leg before moving her body in a snake-like movement, grazing her chest against his. He sucked in a breath, and she grabbed the back of his chair to brace herself and brought her other knee up, so she was straddling his lap.

The close contact made her body tremble as she admired the blush on his cheeks. 

His body tensed even more; lips quivered as he tried to stay calm.

"What's your name, handsome?" She asked with an altered voice, trying to start casual small talk to help ease his distressed state.

"Jughead," he responded and luckily didn't recognize her voice.

"Mmm, interesting..." she murmured and swayed her hips back and forth to the melody of the music.

"What's yours?" She thought she heard him ask under his breath, and she paused her motion for a few seconds, processing his question and let the name roll off her tongue so delicately. "Rose." She climbed off of him and sat back down in his lap and proceeded to dance on him.

Something inside him changed as he grew bold and had a sudden need to picture the name with a face. As Betty's back faced him, he untied his blindfold, letting it slip from his face and fall down onto his lap. He peeped a head of beautiful blonde curls and gulped at the sight of her fair skin. His breathing hitched as his blinking eyes roamed over her luminous body. He tried to adjust them through the blinding lights gleaming on them, and as every inch of skin revealed itself on her, he found it difficult to look away.

But within an instant, she turned her face, exposing the left side of it, and Jughead immediately jolted his body back against the chair, letting out a sharp gasp. "Betty?!" He bolted the chair back out of surprise, letting her plummet down to the floor, landing right on her ass. Betty yelped from the sudden action and rolled over onto her side as she winced from the pain. Jughead stood up out of shock as he watched the girl struggle on the ground. "Hey! Stop! Turn the music off!" He yelled across the room, hoping whoever was in charge of the stereo would hear him, whoever was listened. The music stopped, and the lights turned on.

"Hey... no." Gunner stood up. "Music on!"

"No, Gunner. Enough," Jughead said firmly, and one of his friends helped Betty get back up to her feet. Gunner turned to Jughead with a baffled look on his face. "What the hell is your problem, Jones? It was just getting good!" 

He angrily pointed his finger at Betty as he kept a sharp gaze on his friend. "Are you messing with me right now?"

"What? No. What are you talking about?" Gunner took a step back as Jughead took a step towards him. His fiery expression burned through him, causing some form of fear to enter Gunner's eyes. "What the hell is Betty doing here?" He asked.

Gunner broke his gaze, shaking his head out in confusion and looked at her. "Betty? Wait, I thought your name was Rose?"

Betty stood there awkwardly, fidgeting with her thigh-high netted stockings. She was terrified of Jughead's reaction. "It is... It's my stage name. Betty is my real name." She looked over at Jughead and couldn't help but notice his reddened face as he looked at her appallingly. "Is this some kind of joke?" He began while keeping his eyes on her. "What are you doing stripping at my bachelor party?"

"My job."

She swallowed, feeling more embarrassed than ever. "I was just doing my job. I'm sorry. I didn't know you were the one getting married." She tried to add as much remorse to her tone as possible, so he could see how apologetic she was.

"Okay, I'm confused…” Gunner began. “How do you know the stripper?"

Jughead completely disregarded his question and continued to focus his attention on Betty. ”So, you're a... stripper now? Since when?"

She looked around at everyone’s faces. Their critical faces caused her to stumble over her words. “It’s… um, it's a long story,” she said unconfidently. Jughead huffed and grabbed Gunner’s arm, pulling him away from the group.

"What?" Gunner tried to yank his arm out of his grip as he dragged his feet across the floor.

"What the hell is my ex doing here?" He asked in a loud whisper. Gunner’s face straightened out, and his mouth fell open. “Oh... Holy... shit. That's your ex?!"

"Yes!"

“Like… your ex-ex? That’s _the_ Betty?”

“Yes.”

Gunner broke out a toothy smile, looking more amused than ever. ”Well, this night just keeps getting better and better."

Jughead rolled his eyes. “You booked my ex to strip at my bachelor party. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"How was I supposed to know?” He replied defensively. I called the place, and they directed me to a girl who said her name was Rose. It's not like they gave me detailed background information on her.”

Jughead was humiliated and still processing the image of her dancing on his lap. The girl he hasn’t talked to in five years. The girl he once wanted to marry was now a stripper dancing at his bachelor party.

Jughead swatted him across his chest. “Get rid of her."

"What? No way. I paid a lot of money to get you a stripper."

"I don't care,” he retorted. He thought about Emily, who he knew wouldn’t be okay with this. “If Emily finds out about this, she's gonna kill me, Gunner." 

"She's not gonna find out."

"She will."

"Not if you don't tell her. Besides, who tells their fiancé about the stripper they got at their bachelor party?" He asked nonchalantly and took a sip of his drink.

”Healthy couples who are honest with each other." Jughead scoffed.

"Lame."

"Gunner, I am not going to lie to Emily about this. Fix it. Go tell her to leave."

"No."

He widened his eyes in surprise at him shutting his request down so quickly. “No?"

"If you want her to leave, then you go tell her yourself.” He continued. “I paid $500. I intend to get my $500 worth." He put his hands on his shoulders and patted them.

He furrowed his eyebrows. “You paid half a thousand dollars for her?"

Gunner leered as he nodded his head. “She's the fancy kind, so yeah, they're a little bit more expensive."

Jughead let out a sigh while rolling his eyes. ”I swear to god. You are a fucking idiot,” he said as he walked away from her.

"You're the one who didn't know your ex was a stripper!" He called after him, then took another sip of his drink.

Jughead approached the beautiful blonde who was chatting with one of his friends. He noticed the way she stood with uncertainty seemed as if she wasn't this confident girl she flaunted herself to be now. She still looked delicate and sweet. Her lightful smile and charm seemed to have an effect on his friend, noticing him blush profusely when she put her hand on his shoulder.

“Betty." He interrupted.

She looked up at him. "Can we talk for a minute?" Betty's expression turned grim as she nodded and started walking away from the friend. Jughead followed after her, and they both stopped right beside the stage. 

"Look..." He began. "I really need you to go."

She let out a sigh that matched her disappointment on her face. "I don't wanna be here anymore than you want me to be here."

"So, why are you here?" It was a foolish question to ask. Despite his curiosity, he knew he wouldn't be pleased with any answer she gave him. "It's my job... I've already been paid, and I can't leave until my work is done," she replied, and he gave her a puzzled look. "Well, why didn't you tell me it was you?"

"I don't know... I panicked. I didn't want to cause a scene, and I knew you'd flip out if you knew it was me." She rubbed her upper arm soothingly and broke eye contact with him. "I was embarrassed." He looked at her with sincerity in his eyes and the flashes of all the times he used to give her that look flooded her mind. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Betty. I'm just really confused and kind of shocked at the moment."

There was a moment of awkward silence as the two looked at each other -- Jughead still trying to wrap his head around the situation. "When did you become a stripper? I thought you graduated from Yale?"

Betty gave him a baffled look, completely offended by his question. "I did."

"I thought you wanted to work in criminal justice? What happened?"

It was a long story, and she didn't have the energy to try to explain it to someone who probably hasn't thought about her in years.

"Are we really going to talk about this now? It's a long story, and quite frankly, it's none of your business."

His facial expression melted under her gaze. "Betty..." 

"Just forget it," she said in an irritable tone. "Let's just get this night over with, and then we can go back to being strangers." She started to walk off.

"I can't just let you give me a lap dance." He called after her, and she stopped walking and turned back to him. "You're my ex-girlfriend."

She sighed and looked down at the floor. This night hadn't been what she was expecting either, but she couldn't back out. If her boss found out that she walked out on a client before finishing, he would fire her. _"It's just a job, and he's just_ a _client,"_ she told herself.

She lifted her head up with a new wave of confidence and put on a faux smile. "Not tonight," she replied. "Tonight, I'm just your stripper." If she wanted to get through it, she needed to pretend to be someone else.

"Betty--" he started, but she quickly cut him off. "Who's Betty? My name is Rose." She walked over to him with arrogance and reached for his hand. He hesitated to grab it, so she leaned over to take it. She led him back to his chair, and he followed behind.

"You don't have to do this. You're getting paid either way." She positioned him in front of the chair, grabbed his shoulders, and forced him to take a seat. "It's my job. Let me do my job." He squirmed in the chair but froze when she climbed back on top of him and straddled his lap. He looked up at her as apprehension overwhelmed his face. She parted her lips, brought her mouth up to his ear, and whispered softly into it. "Just relax..."

Her hot breath sent chills down his spine, and he swallowed at the discomfited feeling it gave him. "Betty, this feels wrong."

She pulled back and looked at him with annoyance. "Then, don't think about it. Pretend I'm a stranger."

"But --"

"I am a stranger, and we've never met before," she said, cutting him off and held her hand out in front of her. "Hi, I'm Rose." He looked down at her hand and delayed to take it. He was hesitant due to the voice inside his head telling him to stop, but that was washed away by the alcohol that clouded his head. He felt the room spin and the dreading thoughts escaped his mind. He let his body react for him and found his hand reaching for hers. "Hi, I'm... Jughead." They shook hands, and he caught himself staring as she smiled delicately and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. "Nice to meet you, Jughead." He let the corners of his mouth curl involuntarily, then noticed and immediately erased the delighted expression off his face. 

"Woo! Stripper back on!" Gunner yelled and gestured for the person to cue the lights and music. 

"I don't..." He swallowed hard while looking down at the exposed skin covering her body. He tried to push back the thought of the fact that he used to trace his fingers and tongue over that skin. He felt flustered as he didn't know what to do with his hands. She got off of him, turned, then started grinding her ass down on his lap to the beat of the song. The sight made Jughead's throat dry, and he tried his hardest to block the image of her out of his head. She stood up and started swaying her hips back and forth seductively, then twisted them in a smooth circular motion as she turned in a circle. As bad as he wanted to look away, he found his eyes lazily eyeing her every motion -- examining every detail on her lace bra and underwear. She was so fucking beautiful.

Even more beautiful than he remembered.

She danced in front of his hazy eyes, and every movement she made was so exotic. Every silky blonde strand of hair down to her painted pink toes -- every inch of her was exotic to him. It was like he was watching a completely different girl.

Betty turned around and smiled at his bewildered expression. She felt daring as she wrapped her arms around his neck and straddled his lap again. She began to grind her front over his belt, barely scraping against it as she moved her hips in a circular motion. He immediately sucked in a breath, almost gasping for air. "Betty... stop..." She grabbed his face, tilting it up so he would meet her eyes. Her breathing quickened, and as she continued to grind against his crotch, she felt heat rise in her chest, causing a whirlpool in her tummy, and her heart increased at an abnormal rate.

"Fuck," she could've sworn she saw him mouth under his breath. Their longing stare into each other's eyes lasted, and as each second went by, she felt her body get weaker and weaker.

Eventually, they both drowned out the sound around them as they got lost in each other. The remnants of the alcohol still flowed through his veins, which made it difficult for him not to melt under her intense gaze. 

"Are you afraid to touch me?" She asked breathlessly. His eyes widened a bit, and his lips parted even more with surprise, and she reached for his hand that was firmly gripping the chair. He relaxed it under her touch, and she brought it up to place on the right side of her waist, then reached for his other hand and placed it on her left side. He kept his hands steady in one place, afraid to move them, and Betty continued to rock her hips in a soft, circular motion. 

A few seconds past and the song ended. She climbed off his lap, and Jughead let out a soft exhale in response. She walked over to his friends and started dancing in front of them. They whistled at her, and Jughead felt a heat develop in his core as he watched. Gunner reached over to her and slipped a few dollar bills in the waistband of her underwear. He mumbled something to her, and Jughead couldn't make out what he was saying. Betty kept swaying her hips back and forth and reached behind her back. She unclipped her bra, and Jughead's stomach tensed. She had her back facing him so that he couldn't see her front. The bra straps slowly slid down her arms, and Jughead felt a knot build up in his throat. The hungry expressions on the guys' faces as they ogled her made his jaw clench. The bra fell to the floor, and something inside him took over his body, causing him to dramatically jump up out of the chair. They all looked over at him, and Jughead froze for a few seconds before storming over and stood right in front of her, blocking their perfect view of her half-naked body. 

"Betty."

"What?"

He tried to keep his eyes on her face, but they awkwardly kept drifting away from her. "I just... Please don't." He bent down, picked her bra up off the floor, and handed it to her. 

"Please don't what?" She gave him a puzzled look, took her bra from him, and started putting it back on.

"I don't..." He sighed softly and squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to think of the right words to say. "I don't want you dancing anymore tonight. Please." His eyes were pleading, and Betty looked as if his words had just stung her. "Why not?" 

Jughead looked at her soft, sulky eyes and struggled to get any words out. She recognized his long silence and nodded disappointingly.

"Fine," She said and walked off in a displeased manner. Jughead heavily sighed and walked after her. "Betty." He tried to get her attention, but she kept walking, headed towards her bag that was lying on the ground. "Betty," he said again and stopped right next to her as she picked her bag up off the floor and angrily started taking stuff out of it.

"Can we talk, please?" He asked as he watched her rummage through her bag. "Please," he repeated himself. 

"No!" She barked as she turned to him. "Not part of my job description." She pulled out a tan trench coat and slipped her arms inside the sleeves, tied it shut -- now covering herself up.

"I don't want to talk to you as Rose the stripper; I want to talk to you as Betty, my ex-girlfriend," he retorted. She zipped up her bag and looked at him crisply. He couldn't help but notice the hurt in her eyes as she placed the strap from the bag over her shoulder.

"Well, that opportunity sailed five years ago, Jug. There's nothing to say." 

"There's a lot to say."

He never got the after-break-up conversation with her. He never got the closure he wanted. After they ended their relationship, he tried to talk to her, but she was always hasty to avoid a conversation with him. It bruised her more than he realized. Truthfully, it was he who enforced the break-up. She wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with him, but she made a mistake -- a mistake she will forever hate herself for. 

"You're getting married in a few weeks," she began. "Trust me... there's nothing left to say." She turned around, started to walk off, then stopped. "Oh..." She turned back to him. "I'm supposed to congratulate the guy getting married." 

He perked up his ears, raising his eyebrows a tad bit at her. She frowned, feeling a tad sick at the words she was about to spit out. "Congratulations. I hope you two are very happy together." She gave him a lingering look, hoping he would see the soreness in her eyes before she walked off, leaving him standing there, alone and completely wretched once again. 


	2. Chapter 2

It was almost 1 am and Jughead was back at home in his one-bedroom apartment in the city. The night turned into complete shambles after Betty left. The city streets wore him out as he and his friends walked block after block to get to each destination. Their next stop was a bowling alley, and Jughead's head wasn't all that into it. He thought he was safe from running into Betty when he and Emily moved to the city after graduation, considering Riverdale was a distance away, and Jughead thought Betty would settle in New Haven. Tonight was horrifying for him, and he wanted so badly to erase it.

As Jughead stood in the entryway of his apartment, he scanned it, soaking in the worst images his mind could possibly depict from tonight. He set the keys on the entry table next to the front door before dragging his feet to the refrigerator, opening it up and reached inside to grab a beer. His buzz was killed not long after they left the club, and Jughead wanted so badly to return to that drunken state. He cracked the bottle open with a beer bottle opener, then brought the opening of the bottle up to his mouth and drank the contents of it. Sobriety sucked, and Jughead didn't want any part of it, not after tonight. He gulped the rest of the beer, drinking every last drop before tossing the empty glass bottle into the trash. He then reached back inside the fridge again and pulled out another one. Grabbing beer bottle after beer bottle brought flashbacks to when his dad used to drink. He remembered the sheer hatred he had for his dad when he chose beer over his own family. Jughead used to turn his nose up at the smell of alcohol, hated every scent of it, but something about being older made him understand why his dad did it.

 _Life sucks. That's really all there is to it._

He took the top off the bottle, then walked over to his gray leather couch. He sank back into the seat cushions, getting comfortable, then picked up the TV remote that was lying right next to him. He turned on Netflix and started roaming through his top recommendations. 

He looked through his account for five minutes before giving up and decided to turn on a random murder mystery documentary series. The first episode started, and Jughead took his phone out of his pocket and saw the empty lock screen. He was hoping Emily would call or text him before she went to sleep, but she hadn't yet, and Jughead started to get a little worried. He texted her goodnight, then leaned forward, setting his phone on the coffee table before grabbing his beer.

It was bizarre nowadays for him to be watching a murder mystery series. As the episode continued, he realized he hadn't watched one since he was with Betty. Murder mysteries were always their thing, and after he left Riverdale, he stopped thinking about them as much. 

As he drowned himself in his beer, he stayed slumped back against the couch, eyeing the TV. The episode finally ended, and Jughead debated whether or not he should watch another one or go to bed. Netflix made the decision for him and started playing the next episode. Jughead shrugged to himself as he placed the empty beer bottle against his chest, feeling the effects of the alcohol start up again. His eyes got heavier, ignoring the bottle slowly gliding off his chest as he laid completely still. His phone vibrated, and Jughead was too dozy to pay any mind to it. His body continued to relax as he stared blankly at the TV. 

Unfortunately, his drowsy state didn't last long. There was a sudden banging on the door, jerking his body awake. He yawned and looked over at the door as he rubbed his eyes and stood up off the couch. He walked over to the door and opened it up -- to a girl wearing those familiar black stiletto heels. He raked his eyes up her body -- she had on a short gray ruffled skirt, a tight black v-neck sweater, and a Michael Kors crossbody purse. She had her blonde hair down and the same face of make-up as earlier. 

"Betty?" He scratched his head, noticing the uneasiness in her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

She immediately shoved past him, aggressively clacking her heels against the hardwood floor as she walked with anticipation. "I know it's late, I'm sorry." She stopped in the middle of his entryway and turned back to him. Jughead was still holding the door open, looking confused and slowly started to shut it.

"I've been driving around all night." She continued. "I needed to talk to you."

Jughead looked disoriented. "How'd you find me?"

"I called Archie." She swallowed. "I know you guys aren't really friends anymore, but he somehow knew where you lived."

He wanted to clench his fist at that name spewing out of her mouth. He hadn't heard her say that name in years, and hearing it brought back bad memories. "Uh, yeah... We're not on the best terms, but we've somewhat kept in touch, I guess."

She nodded slowly, her voice soft and sweet, "oh."

"Yeah, so why... are you here?" He asked as he walked past her and into the kitchen. 

"Uh, I... I wanted to apologize to you." She stuttered and took a few hesitating steps closer. "For tonight."

Jughead ignored her comment and opened up the fridge. "Do you want something to drink?" 

"Oh, uh... sure," she replied, giving him a tense smile. 

"What do you want? We have beer ... or... I think we have wine." He pulled out a bottle of Rosé wine and held it up for her to see. I don't really know what you drink," he said, then looked up at her. 

"Oh, uh... wine is fine. I like wine," she replied and walked into the kitchen. She placed her purse down on the countertop and stood there eyeing his every move as he opened the bottle and poured it into a wine glass. Her eyes turned away to the rest of the kitchen, and they continued to roam around his entire place. The decorations were fairly neutral, but she couldn't help but notice the flamboyant chandelier dangling from the ceiling. He had a desk laying against the wall with a laptop displayed on top of it and a picture frame of a brunette with a dazzling smile. "Do you live here alone?" She asked curiously.

"Uh, no. Emily lives here too, but she's sleeping over at a friend's tonight," he replied and handed her the glass of wine. "Thanks," she said, grabbing it from him. She looked back over at the picture frame as she took a sip from her glass. She walked over to the desk and picked up the frame. The first thing she noticed about the girl was her shining white teeth and ocean eyes. She was absolutely gorgeous, and it made Betty's stomach burn. "Is this her?" She asked, bringing the picture frame up to show him.

"Oh, yeah. That's my fiancé," he said proudly and smiled.

Brushing that word off her shoulder, she smiled back at him. "She's pretty." She set the picture frame back down, positioning it in its spot, and traced her finger over the design of the frame. "Yeah, she's honestly the nicest most beautiful girl ever... Still don't understand why she said yes to marrying me." He chuckled.

His words set fire to her core, forcing a frown to replace her smile. She wasn't narcissistic enough to think her ex would still find her the most attractive girl ever, but it still hurt to hear that she wasn't anymore.

She walked back over to the kitchen counter, leaning her back against it. His eyes darted away, trying not to meet her awkward gaze as she watched him bring the glass up to his parted lips and sipped the wine. She looked at the way his lips met with the glass and noticed his shirt was missing a few buttons, realizing he was still the most attractive in her eyes. He always was. 

"Jug..." she began. "...I'm sorry for everything that happened tonight. I should've said something when I first saw that it was you, and I'm sorry for how I acted afterward."

"It's fine, Betty." He took another sip of his wine. "Water under the bridge."

She nodded and looked at him carefully for a little bit, thinking about the question he asked her earlier that night, the question she didn't want to answer. She exhaled into her glass, then set it down on the counter behind her before looking up at him again. "I ran out of money during my last year of college." He finally looked at her, raising his left brow up as he waited for her to continue. "I got fired from my part-time job, and I had to find a summer job. Otherwise, I wouldn't have any money for that upcoming year." She continued. "Anyway, I impulsively took a job at the local strip club in downtown New Haven and..." She exhaled over her words. "...It gave me fast money. I've been doing it ever since." There was a long lingering silence from the both of them and Jughead took another drink from his glass, gulping the rest of it down.

"I don't enjoy it, but I don't know... it makes me feel empowered, I guess," she added. "I'm still the same girl I was before, Jug. I did get my BA degree in criminal justice."

He drooped the corners of his mouth down and nodded with his eyebrows raised. "Oh." He set his glass down. "That's cool."

She still wasn't sure how he felt about it by his tense body language and difficult expression to read.

As seconds went by, the awkward tension between them grew, and Betty felt embarrassed at her constant urge to not let the conversation die. Jughead didn't seem all that into her being there, so she wrestled with the thought of walking out of that apartment and never looking back.

"Look..." Jughead started to talk, and Betty's ears perked up immediately at his soft-spoken voice. "I'm sorry for stopping you tonight. That was inappropriate of me."

Her face dropped at his apologetic tone. She figured he was talking about her dance. "Why did you?" She asked, her velvety voice catching in her throat. 

He looked down at the floor, eyeing it like he was trying to find the answer somewhere on the tan tiles. His eyebrows wrinkled, nose puffed out a small amount of air, and all he managed to get out was "I don't know." She met the spot on the floor where he was looking as if his thoughts were somehow displayed across it, but the dreaded question that was stuck in her head still lingered.

"Were you embarrassed of me?" She asked despairingly.

He shot his head up. "No..." He said, prolonging the 'no'. "No," he repeated with more confidence. His eyes stayed on hers, and after a moment with his thoughts, he relaxed his face, and she could tell he had been holding his breath after his chest descended. "Maybe."

She let out a breath, tightening her chest and forced herself to look past him rather than at him. "It's fine," she said, pretending that single word didn't leave a bruise on her. 

He shook his head and squinted his eyes at the floor. "No, no... that's not it, actually." He took a deep breath through his nose. "I think I was just mad."

"Mad about what?"

"I don't know, Betty," he spat out. "It's weird seeing your ex-girlfriend dance naked in front of your friends." He paused, looking her up and down and stopped at her stomach. Betty grew conscious over his gaze burning through her core. "It's weird seeing you dance naked in front of them." His eyes shot back up to hers, and she swallowed as she registered his words.

"I'm sorry, Jug," she replied. "I didn't know it would bother you."

His body looked tense and she wasn't sure he had moved his limbs since the moment he put his glass down. "No, it's fine. It was inappropriate of me to tell you what to do. I don't know what came over me." 

"You were mad at them looking at me?"

He nodded slowly.

"Were you jealous?" The question hovered over them in the air, and Jughead felt awkward to retrieve it.

"I mean..." He sighed. "...Yeah, but it was inappropriate. I had no right to react the way I did."

"I didn't know you were jealous," she replied. "I just thought you were embarrassed."

"Embarrassed of what, though?" He asked, perplexed by her words. "Betty, there's nothing you could do that would embarrass me." He paused, switching his attention to a different thought that jumped to the front of his head. "Except... you know, when I found about you and Archie at prom," he mumbled, hoping she wouldn't hear it, but she did. "Jug..." she let out under her breath, "I'm sorry." She looked at him with melted eyes, and he shrugged her pleading tone off.

"It was a long time ago, Betty."

"Not long enough," she replied and took a small step toward him, detaching herself from the island. "I still think about you... all the time."

He looked away from her as his hands stayed planted on the counter behind him. "Betty..." He closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

"Do you think about me?"

"No," he said immediately, trying to get her to stop talking. He squeezed his eyes shut at his own quick, harsh tone. 

"Jughead..." she said, looking desperate, and Jughead looked down at the floor, letting out a soft, weak sigh. "Sometimes..." He started. "But not that often. Certain things remind me of you, but no, if you want me to be completely honest, I don't really think about you, Betty," he said firmly.

Betty's eyes glistened under his brassy gaze. "Oh."

He broke eye contact with her and awkwardly scratched his head. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about? Because if not, I really think you should go." He turned around, grabbed his glass off the counter, and walked over to the sink to wash it out. 

"Uh... right," she replied disappointingly. "I'm sorry. It's late, and you probably wanna go to sleep." 

He ignored her and continued to wash his glass out with soap, then proceeded to dry it off with a towel. He set it down, then walked back over to the fridge, opening it and leaned down to grab another cold beer. She watched him, debating whether she should pick her purse up and leave or stay and wait for him to tell her goodbye. He pulled out a beer, grabbed the beer opener from the counter, and popped the lid off. He shut the refrigerator and turned back to her. 

She was standing just a few inches away from him, and his body slightly jumped at her startling closeness. From a moment of weakness and without a single thought, she leaned in, parting her lips before pressing them against his. His lips were as soft and as delicate as she remembered them, and she could taste the wine and beer off the tip of them. He immediately pressed his hand against her chest, pushing her back, and it caused his body to fall back against the fridge. His revolting look worried her, and she stood there anxiously, opening her mouth to say something... anything, but nothing came out. _"Uh, oh. What did you just do?"_ She thought to herself as she stared at the baffled man in front of her. The blood left her face, and her heart pounded against her chest as she processed the action in her brain of what felt like a momentary relapse. His expression made her think he was about to explode on her. The haunting eyes that burned through hers, the longing stare, and wide-open mouth made her gut wrench.

His head was doing a swift, sloth-like forward motion before he let the beer bottle slip through his fingers, letting it crash down to the floor. Glass shattered beneath their feet, and Jughead ignored it as he grabbed her face firmly with both his hands, shooting his head forward and rammed his lips against hers. She sucked in a sharp breath, letting out a short gasp as he extended his jaw, shoving his tongue deep in her mouth. The surprising action sent electric waves to her tummy. _Is this really happening? Is his mouth really on hers, or is she dreaming?_

She wrestled with the gray line between reality and fantasy for a few seconds before she finally realized his lips really were on hers. She eagerly brought her hands up to the back of his head and matched her lips with his, the kiss warm and wet as she ached for more. His hungry mouth made her whine as she urged to explore every inch of his. She swirled her tongue around his, tasting it, and the heat radiating from his mouth made her stomach twirl. They devoured each other, and Betty felt the heat build-up inside of her as Jughead dragged his hands down to her hips and pressed her hard against him. She gripped a patch of his raven hair, then ran her fingers through it, missing the way she used to tangle her fingers in it. He thrust himself against her, their shoes stepping over the glass as he backed her up against the counter and continued to dominate her mouth. The kissing was faster, hotter, and sloppier than any of their past kisses. It was like they both had been deprived of one another for so long. Jughead felt the vibration of her moan against his mouth, and he let out a soft, muffled groan in response. He didn't realize it at first, but the moan that escaped her mouth occurred from him grinding his hard bulge against her absentmindedly.

She felt a rush shoot up her limbs as he picked her up, hands underneath her thighs and she immediately wrapped her legs around his waist and arms around his neck, refusing to break the kiss. She took advantage of the position and started to grind herself against his erection, trying to ease the throbbing sensation. In doing so, her breathing quickened, and she slid her mouth away from his as she let out a few hot breaths against his cheek. He set her down on the counter, and Betty went straight for his shirt. She didn't have the patience to unbutton it one by one, so she dug her fingers through the openings in between the buttons on his shirt and used all her strength to rip it open, exposing his chiseled bare chest and hard stomach. Betty nearly came at the sight of him. She scanned over his tan skin, then ran her hand over his stomach and up to his bare chest before wrapping her arm around his neck, clinging onto him and meeting his lips again. She scooted herself closer to him, pressing herself against his erection to feel the friction once more. She started rubbing against him and let out a soft moan against his mouth. He grabbed the v-line of her sweater and yanked it down to reveal her breasts bulging out of her bra. He pulled away to look down at them, and she saw his breath hitch in his throat as his hand kneaded them.

"Jug..." She swallowed her breath. "...I love you." She brought her hands up to his face and caressed his cheek with her thumb. He looked up at her before leaning back in to shut her up. "I never stopped --" Her words were cut off by him connecting his lips with hers, practically inhaling her words. He darted his tongue over her mouth, then slid his lips to her cheek and down to her neck, leaving a trail of slobber. Her breathing quickened as she looked up at the ceiling, then gently shut her eyes as he massaged his lips and tongue against her neck.

He breathed in her vanilla scent, getting lost in that very smell she had years ago.

She could feel and hear the hot puff of air escape his mouth every time he connected his mouth to her skin, and it sent chills down her spine. She was lost in her own high. 

He gently scraped his teeth against her neck and sucked the soft patch of skin between his teeth, causing her to moan. He pulled back with a light pop, then swiped his tongue over the reddened area. He aggressively bit the area again, letting out a soft groan, then kissed his way down to the swell of her breasts. She arched her back, flexing her chest out to him with need.

With his left hand, he palmed her breast over her bra, making it bulge out and kneaded it roughly as he caressed his lips and tongue over the top of it. She whimpered when he looked up at her and met her lips again, his mouth wet and filled with desire. He pulled away, letting out an exhale and dropped his hands to the bottom of her shirt, hooking his thumb under and lifted it up to take off. She obliged and helped him pull it over her head, then tossed it to the side. He snaked his hands around her backside and yanked her closer to him as he connected his wanting lips to hers again. She had her entire torso pressed against him, their bare chests pushed together, and she sighed into his mouth from the contact. He slid his lips to her cheek, giving it a quick kiss, and his hands traveled down to her thighs, tracing them gently before shoving her skirt up until her pink cotton panties were exposed. He pulled away, hooking his fingers over the waistband of her underwear and roughly yanked them down to her knees. They fell down the remaining part of her legs to her feet, and she kicked them off. 

He went back to kissing her neck again as he rubbed her thighs slowly, his thumbs digging into her inner thigh, hands inching higher and higher after every stroke. Her smooth, fair skin felt wondrous against his touch. He brought his lips to hers, sucking her bottom lip between his teeth as he dragged his fingers over the remaining part of her thigh, and Betty's heart sank when the tip of his fingers connected to her pussy. He tenderly rubbed at her mound before easily slipping two fingers into her, and Betty gasped, biting his bottom lip. He slowly pumped his fingers in and out of her wet folds a few times as he smiled against her mouth. "Just as wet as I remember," he whispered, making Betty swallow hard. He pulled his fingers out, causing her to let out a soft cry in response. 

He quickly pushed her knees further apart, spreading them wide before he bent down, nestling his mouth over her inner thigh and bit down on the flesh. He gripped her thighs harder as he dragged his bottom lip over the skin, earning her a small yelp. He swiped his tongue over the area, then traced his lips further up her inner thigh, making her whine impatiently. She gripped his head, urging him to get closer, but he resisted and looked up at her.

"Jug..." she said with desperation in her tone and lust in her eyes. "Please..."

As his eyes stayed locked with hers, he kissed her thigh softly and slowly, making her bite her bottom lip. She settled her legs on his shoulders, hooking them around his neck and shoved his head closer. He dragged his mouth over her skin, getting closer and closer, and Betty let sucked in a breath when she felt his hot breath against her sex.

Her body trembled with need as she looked down at his face and glimpsed the starving expression on it before he lunged forward, immediately attaching his lips to her clit, sucking vigorously, and she howled. "Fuck." Her mouth agape, letting out a high-pitch squeal as he buried his face into her pussy. His forceful tongue licked across her folds, exploring every inch before pressing his lips against her sex. Her chest heaved as she felt a rush shoot up, causing her heart to flutter wildly. _"When did he get so good at this"_ was all she could think about as he massaged his tongue against her clit, swirling it around before diving it into her. He darted it in and out of her, fucking her, and Betty gripped his hair helplessly. 

"Don't stop," she said under her breath, her mouth wide open as she tilted her head back in ecstasy. 

He pulled back quickly before connecting his mouth to her pussy again and sucked hard as his tongue dove deep in between her walls and started waving it up and down. He rocked his face against Betty's sensitive flesh, and she gripped his hair tighter when his tongue hit that sweet spot. She moaned helplessly, not caring if the neighbors next door heard her. 

She was so sweet. Jughead lapped her juices like a thirsty kitten, making her purr. He sucked, licked, and occasionally scraped his teeth against her mound, making her body jolt, and it made him smile against her sex. He so desperately wanted to make her cum. He brought his two fingers up to her hole and slid them past her walls, immediately curling them upward, aiming for her g-spot and started fucking into her. As he plunged his fingers through her slickness, he brought his mouth up to her clit and started flicking it back and forth with his tongue. 

She shivered from the sensation, and a deep frenzy started to build up as she looked down and saw him eating away at her cunt. There was a desperation in her moan as she yearned for more. She started bucking her hips uncontrollably, fucking his mouth, and Jughead found it hard to keep up with her quick motion. He retrieved his slick fingers from her and grabbed both her ass cheeks for better control as she ground her sensitive flesh against his agape mouth. His lips and tongue matched her motion, quickly opening and closing his mouth against her wet pussy as he stared up at her.

His gorgeous eyes looking up at her as he ate her out was enough to make her cum. She lovingly slid her fingers through his hair before reaching to the back of his head and pressed his face firmly against her aching, fluttering sex. He tried his hardest to continue working her slit with his mouth, but it was the added pressure and friction against his face that caused her to reach her peak. A strong ripple of electricity shot through her body, causing her to slow her movement down. Her body spasmed as she rolled her eyes to the back of her head and let out a relieving breath as she went into a euphoric state. Jughead kept his speed, getting her through her orgasm as he massaged his tongue up and down her folds, making sure to hit her clit each time.

"Oh, my --" She hit the counter with her fist as she started to come down from her high.

Jughead lapped up her juices, slowing his movement down, then left one last kiss on her oversensitive cunt and pulled back.

He looked up at her as she dropped her legs from his shoulders, and he immediately sprang up to kiss her, forcing her to taste herself on his mouth. She sighed into the kiss, feeling satisfied, and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

He swiped his tongue in her mouth before gently biting her bottom lip, pulling it away from her teeth and letting it spring back. He attacked her lips again with more force this time, making her whimper, and she gripped his waist under his shirt. 

He pulled his lips away from hers, ghosting them over as his heavy breath intertwined with hers. His eyes filled with need, and she could tell he was aching for her.

"Fuck me," she whispered, looking down at his lips and softly planted a kiss on them. 

He swallowed at her demand, drawing in a breath before gripping her ass, pressing her firmly against him as he lifted her off the counter, and she clung onto him, wrapping her legs and arms around him. 

He carried her away from the kitchen, and Betty grew a heap of excitement at where he was taking her. He kicked a door open with his foot and proceeded to walk into a room of darkness. She couldn't see a thing, but he continued to walk through the room like he knew where he was going. Suddenly, he stopped, and she gasped, letting out a squeal when he dropped her onto something that felt like a bed. 

He walked back over to the passage of light coming from the hall and shut the door. She lay sprawled out on the bed, waiting for him. Jughead walked back over and braced his knee on the bed, climbing over her. She reached her hands up to his face, trying to feel where he was above her, then immediately felt his lips on hers. He kissed her deeply, making her hum against his mouth. She felt warm and tingly as his soft lips enclosed over hers, his tongue eager to taste hers. She pushed his shirt down his shoulders, motioning for him to take it off, and he retreated to do so. She eagerly reached down to his belt and fumbled to unbuckle it. He helped her out, removing the belt from the belt loops and tossed it on the floor as she unbuttoned his pants and slid her hand inside them. He let out an exhale when he felt her hand brush against his bulge over his underwear and went back to kissing her. He kicked his shoes and socks off, then pulled his jeans down, wiggling his way out of them, and Betty desirously traced her fingers over his naked chest as her eyes started adjusting in the darkness. She pushed him back, wanting to take all of him in. She could see the outline of his naked body now, making her drag her hands down to his stomach, appreciating the way his skin felt so smooth against her fingers. 

He breathed heavily, watching her as her hand traveled down to the waistband of his boxers. Her fingertips teased along the line of them before she reached her hand inside, immediately coming in contact with his tip. He was already fully hard for her. Her fingers danced over the length of it, stroking the side of it, making his throat rumble as he watched her face carefully. He impatiently crashed his lips against hers as he yanked his boxers down, taking them off, then turned his attention to her heels and took them off one by one. He dragged her skirt down and roughly heaved that off too. She ejected a high-pitched noise from her mouth, unprepared for his actions as he kissed her harshly, biting her bottom lip and groped her left boob over her bra. He peeled it down, exposing her nipple as he sucked her lip between his teeth, then kissed her sloppily. He snaked his hand under her back, making her arch it off the bed as he swiftly unclipped her bra. He stripped it off of her, leaving her completely bare on his cotton comforter. She felt exposed, her nipples hardening under the cold air, feeling desperate for his warm mouth.

"Jug..." She breathed heavily, gripping the back of his neck.

"What? What is it?" He asked as he cupped her cheek. She let out a soft whine, feeling her face blush in the darkness. He looked at her face, trying to read it, then felt pressure on the back of his neck and saw her arching her back, offering her chest to him, and he smiled when he realized what she wanted. He fondled her right breast, feeling the velvety skin under his palm, then lunged his mouth forward, immediately attaching his lips and tongue to her pink nipple and sucked. She moaned from the heat radiating from his wet mouth and let out a breath when he grabbed her left boob with his other hand and started kneading it. "Oh, Jughead..." She let out little short breaths as she felt his tongue swirl around her right nipple while he circled her other nipple with his thumb. She bit her bottom lip between her teeth, breathing in and out of her nose as she dug her shoulder blades into the bed. He licked a stripe up her left breast before pulling his right hand away, and she hummed when he started fondling her slick heat between her thighs.

She grabbed his face and pulled it back up to hers, kissing him passionately as he left her center abandoned to take his pulsating cock in his hands and started rubbing it against her wet folds. The swollen tip dragged its way up to her silky clit, then slid down, teasing her entrance, and she scraped her teeth against his bottom lip. "Please," she whined against his lips seductively, begging for every inch of him to be inside her. 

That was enough for him to apply more pressure against her burning clit, then dragged his tip through her folds, suddenly sinking his cock inside of her. She felt a rush, her walls clenching around him as she mewled out. He groaned, feeling her tight heat around him, and his breathing quickened.

"Fuck," he said under his breath before he thrust deeper inside her, shooting electricity through her body. She felt a high in her chest as she listened to the sounds of her own moans and his rigid breathing. He clenched the comforter tightly and sped up his hips, thrusting up into her. 

She kept her mouth wide open, arms wrapped around him, and her head started to fog. "Jughead!" She let out a high-pitch moan, then felt saliva catch in her throat, trying to swallow it. Butterflies high on ecstasy swirled her chest, and she yearned for more of him. She left a kiss on his cheek and tangled her fingers in his hair.

"Fuck, I missed you so much," she whispered.

He slid his cock in and out of her heat, hitting her g-spot, and Jughead growled from the wet sounds and the pleasurable feeling. "My god... You're so fucking wet." He shoved himself deeper, bucking his hips faster, and uncontrollable squeals escaped her mouth.

"Jug!" She said in a high voice, gasping for air.

He groaned at how good she felt around him, sliding through her tight heat, fucking up inside of her. Her whiney moans made his cock twitch. He could listen to her making those noises for hours. He breathed in her beautiful scent, letting the familiarity of it all wash over him. Her bare tits enticed him as he got distracted by them bouncing up and down underneath him. He palmed her right breast, squeezing it, then started circling his thumb over her hardened nipple. 

The pleasure wasn't the only thing she was feeling. She craved every inch of him, feeling the intimacy and warmth swarm her body as if her love for him had never died. 

Because it hadn't.

She wanted him to consume her, be as lost in his lust as she was in hers. She felt the same intense desire as she did back in high school when they were together; only this time, it was much stronger. She felt every molecule in her body multiply, and nothing else mattered at that moment. 

She was _high_ off of him.

She lifted her head off the bed to kiss him. Her lips crowned over his, guiding them smoothly over the swell of his bottom lip. His hefty breathing overwhelmed her, and she pressed her face firmly against his and continued to kiss him roughly. She grabbed his face, and he tried to pull back from her to keep his steady rhythm, but she kept him in one place, wanting to breathe his breath in.

"I love you so much," she boldly whispered against his lips, looking up into his eyes longingly. Jughead let out a sigh, looking over her lips with desire before squeezing his eyes tightly shut and dived his open mouth down to her breast, taking the swell of it into his mouth. He exhaled and grumbled against it, Betty moaned from him digging his teeth into her skin as he bucked his hips at full speed now. He plunged his cock into her throbbing sex over and over and over again. She dug her nails into his back, trying not to scream. She was on the edge.

"Jughead!" She howled. "Oh, my god!" Her body tingled and trembled at the intoxicating rush. "Ohhhh..." She moaned.

He kept a steady fast momentum, needing to hear the pretty sounds continue to escape her perfect mouth. He howled with her, noise-canceling out the dreadful thoughts in his head of her being the one underneath him once again after all these years. She was his weakness.

And it was too late now. They were both drowning in each other's pleasure, sinking down even further before one or the other hits rock bottom. He could feel himself getting close to it. 

"I'm gonna cum," he said while he pushed her legs back, sinking deeper inside her. She squeaked at the sharp sensation and knew immediately that she was at her peak.

She pulled him closer to her and breathed against his shoulder. "I want you to cum inside me," she whispered in his ear, and those words were enough to send him over the edge. He rammed his pulsating cock into her g-spot one last time, sending an overwhelming bolt through her body, causing her to tighten it and tremble underneath him. They came at the same time -- their wailing intertwined with one another as he spilled inside of her. He slowed his hips down, sliding in and out of her slowly, getting them through their orgasms before his body gave out, and he rested himself on top of her. 

His body was damp from the sweat, but Betty didn't care. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close to her and buried her face in his neck. She hasn't felt this comforted by anyone in the last five years. Her heart danced from his presence, and she smiled into his neck before planting a quick kiss on it.

She could tell he was tired by his silence and lack of movement. She slowly started sitting up, trying to get him to roll off. As she slid out from under him, she pushed him onto his back, and he sluggishly sat up and got under the covers. He immediately plopped his head down against the pillow, leaving Betty awkwardly sitting there watching him drift off to sleep.

She debated with herself on whether or not she should leave quietly but didn't want him to think this was just a one night stand to her. Before she could decide, she found her eyes uncontrollably closing, and the pillow next to his seemed incredibly enticing. She got under the covers and laid her head down on the pillow, facing him. Her body sunk into the mattress as she struggled to keep her eyes open. There were still lingering thoughts in her head about walking out the door, but as soon as she thought about the consequences of their actions when the sun rises, her eyes were already glued shut. 

And the night was already gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is a bughead story. No, this is not going to end in a happily ever after for every character. If you don't like it, then don't read it. Simple as that.

It was the light shining through the window that caused her eyes to open. She was blinking through the burning sensation that kept them shut for so long. She turned over on her side, holding the sheet up to cover her body because of the chillness in the air. She looked at him, sprawled out on his back, his face turned in the other direction, and she smiled at how beautiful he looked. She was still trying to comprehend what had happened last night, feeling her stomach flutter with butterflies when she remembered how sensational it felt to be with him again.

She carefully admired the features on his face, her hand brushing the softness of his cheek. She leaned forward, nestling her head on his pillow and draped her arm across his chest, then started gently drawing shapes on his right shoulder with her middle finger. She lifted her head to see his eyes and couldn't help but smile wider when his eyelids started opening. 

He opened his eyes, looked down at her hand before turning his face to look at her.

"Hi," she said with a toothy smile, positioning her top row of teeth over her bottom lip.

"Oh, hi," he replied with a raspy voice and exhaled out his nose as he looked down at the blankets, noticing the cool texture of the soft sheets overlaying his naked body. His attention was taken away when her cold hand palmed his left cheek, forcing him to turn his face towards her. She leaned in and connected her lips delicately to his. He couldn't help but turn his body towards her to slowly match the pressure, kissing her back, and the two of them stayed gingerly kissing one another momentarily. The sheet slid down her body, and she scooted closer to him, pressing her bare bust against his chest, falling deeper into the kiss. 

Before it got even more heated, Jughead forced himself to pull back slowly. Betty was still pressed up against him when she started caressing her thumb over his cheekbone. "I missed you _so_ much," she whispered.

He curled the left corner of his mouth up, giving her a half-smile and closed his eyes, melting into her touch. They laid like that for a moment, just soaking in the silence that lingered between them. Betty took his hand and brought it down to her center between her legs and smiled. Jughead breathlessly whimpered from the slickness between her thighs and started gently rubbing it. "Wow," he whispered. "You're still so wet."

She nodded and started subtly grinding herself against his hand, aching for relief. "Can I sit on your face?" She blushed profusely and bit her thumbnail shyly. Jughead closed his eyes and took his hand out from under her, placing it on her hipbone and rubbed it tenderly. "Uh..." He shifted his body to look at the clock on the bedside table. A tense expression on his face appeared when he turned back to her. "Look, um... It's already almost 9, and I don't know when Emily is supposed to be home."

She sat up, pulling the sheet up to cover her body. "You should probably go before she gets back," he said.

She looked at him with parted lips and a blank expression on her face. "But I thought..." Her eyebrow creased slightly, smile slowly started to fade, and her eyes slowly registered the nervous expression on his face. Betty gave him a chilled look, eyes burning right through him, and he found it difficult to look at her.

"Are you still going to marry her?" She asked, her voice high and sweet. 

He processed her question in his head, raising his eyebrows slightly like the answer was obvious. "Yeah."

She sucked in a sharp breath, letting it out slowly, and Jughead could've sworn he heard her heart shatter in her chest. "But I don't understand... I told you I loved you." 

"I know, I..." He paused to breathe in deeply, and turned his attention to the seam on the bedsheet, tracing his finger over the stitching as he worked up the courage to spit out his words. "I love Emily," he said tenderly, meeting her swelling eyes. 

Betty frowned as water appeared in the lining of her eyes. "You do?" Her voice cracked, lips quivered as she spilled out that question.

"Yeah," he mumbled under her gaze, and that word caused a million tiny stab wounds to appear on her chest. Her head trembled from her holding her breath, trying not to cry. "Do you not love me?" She exhaled sharply, then sucked in her breath again. 

He looked down and sighed, thinking about how ironic those words sounded coming out of her mouth, considering he asked that exact question to her after he found out about her kiss with Archie. "It's been five years, Betty."

"So?" The tears were spilling out of her eyes now. "Time doesn't erase anything. Time doesn't mean anything when you're in love with someone." 

He cringed at her words, and Jughead fought the urge to tell her how he truly felt. Hurting her was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Jug, if this is about Archie..." She started in a hushed tone, then gradually raised her voice, "I swear to you, he means nothing to me."

"It's not about Archie," he replied as he continued to stare at the spot on the bed in front of her.

"Then, what? What do you want me to do? Do you want me to propose to you or keep telling you how much I love you and how I never stopped?"

"No..." He mumbled.

"Then, what, Jughead?!" She cried out, her face turning a shade of purple as tears kept rolling down her cheek. She stared at him as she brushed the water droplets off her cheek, then exhaled out her parted lips, trying to calm herself down. "We love each other. How does that ever stop?" 

"It doesn't, but..." 

"But what?" 

He finally met her eyes. "I can't just choose a girl I dated in high school. I don't even know who you are now. I know nothing about your life or what your personality is like now. I don't know what kind of food you eat or how you take your coffee in the morning. I don't even know where you live now, Betty!"

His words felt like a sword digging into her rib cage, and she struggled to keep her angry thoughts from escaping her mouth. "Jughead, I am the same person I have always been! You do know me."

He dropped his head down and shook it. "I just... can't."

"So, then what was last night?" She asked with irritability.

"I don't know," he replied.

"We slept together..."

"I know."

"We had sex."

"I know," he repeated.

"You kissed me!" She raised her voice, anger flooding out of her mouth.

"I know, okay?" His voice got louder. "I know! I screwed up!" 

Betty's eyes widened at him, and she held her mouth firmly shut together. There were no tears left to cry. Instead, she just felt heat overwhelm her body, and the burning desire to run out.

"I was trying to avoid telling you that last night was a mistake because I didn't want to hurt you, but it was, Betty. It was." He looked at her, prolonging the stare on her face. "I'm an engaged man." He continued. "What you and I had in high school was great, okay? You were the first girl I ever loved... but things are different now." He paused for a second, letting her soak in the moment of hurtful truth he was spilling to her. "We were kids then."

She immediately shot him a sour look. "What we had was special. Don't pretend like it wasn't."

"I'm not pretending," he replied defensively. "I'm being realistic. We were young and naïve. And besides that, you and I only dated for three years. Emily and I have been dating for four."

That last sentence alone was enough to shut her up. She stayed silent, mouth slightly agape at the realization that he wasn't in love with her anymore. Their silly little romance was nothing but a stepping stool for the real thing. The hope for them to rekindle was shattered by those unforgettable words. 

"Oh," she said under her breath. She didn't know how to react, so she awkwardly smiled slightly, letting out a short exhale. She couldn't look him in the eyes, or she'd start crying again, so she turned her gaze down to the bed, then onto the door across the room. She was mortified. Every second she spent missing him, every ounce of hope that they'd find their way back to each other one day was gone... buried.

She felt her chest tighten, blood leave her face once again, and an overflowing amount of sickness entered her stomach. She swallowed, feeling her body weaken and tingle. The flashback of her confidentially telling him she loved him made her shrink away from him. 

She got up off the bed, still holding the sheet against her body, and ripped it off the bed to wrap herself in it. "I'm gonna go," she said to herself, not caring if he heard it. She determinedly walked over to the scattered pieces of clothing on the floor and picked them up one by one. She heard him sigh, and saw in the corner of her eye that he was putting on his boxers and pants, then walked out of the room. 

She looked around, unable to find her shirt and underwear, then remembered they were still in his kitchen. She wrapped her waist in the bedsheet and clipped her bra on, and before she could walk out, he walked back in, holding her underwear and shirt in front of him. Without making eye contact, she grabbed the items of clothing from him and started to slip them on. 

He stood in front of her, right hand placed on his hip while the other one scrolled through his phone. 

Neither one of them said a word. They just spent what seemed to be their last few seconds together in complete and utter silence. She watched him while sliding her foot inside her heel; she watched every little detail about him. The way his thumbs danced over his screen, ignoring her presence in the room, she realized something.

He changed.

He wasn't the same Jughead she once knew. He was different now.

She took a deep breath, her mind traveling to thoughts that made her stomach churn. He _used_ her. He used every part of her body to cheat on his fiancée.

She felt the tears creep up again. She couldn't bear another moment standing in the same room with him. After she buckled the last strap around her ankle, she took a few steps forward, headed for the door. There was something inside her that made her come to a stop under the door frame. Her legs weren't able to move anymore. She stood there, heart racing in her chest, causing a stream of adrenaline to shoot up her body. She was reluctant to hold back the tears any longer. They fell down her rosy cheeks, and there was a squeak that escaped her mouth when she tried not to make a sound.

Heat swarmed her face as she inhaled deeply. She turned back to him. "No, I don't believe that." 

Jughead's attention turned away from his screen, looking up at her with a puzzled expression.

"I don't believe that last night was just a drunken mistake and it meant nothing to you. Jughead Jones wouldn't cheat on his fiancée with a stripper unless it meant something to him."

"Betty..." He said under his breath.

She started storming her heels over to him. "Look at me," she said sharply.

"Bett --"

"Look at me!" She barked, cutting him off, and grabbed his face. He exhaled as he closed his eyes while she positioned herself right in front of him. Her hands palmed his cheeks as she steadily kept her eyes on his closed lids. She held a sharp gaze, waiting for him to look at her, but all he did was open his eyes slightly and stared at the ground beneath them. She took a step closer to his body, looking directly up at him, trying to meet his eyes.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you don't still feel something for me," she said firmly, trying not to let her voice waver from the lump appearing in her throat. She felt like she was about to run out of oxygen. The air became thicker, her nose started to tingle, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Tell me you don't love me." Her voice wasn't rigid that time. She tried everything in her power to keep herself from crying. Still, something about the vulnerability of her words, and the inability to see his thoughts caused an emotional reaction.

Jughead squeezed his eyes shut again, exhaling out his nose as he clenched his lips together. He leaned his head forward, pressing his forehead against hers as she kept her hands steady on his face. He flexed his jaw, breathing in and out sharply through his nose, and Betty's body tensed when she felt his hands brush against her hips.

"You need to go," he whispered, immediately triggering a whimper out of her mouth. She bit back her bottom lip, trying to stop it from quivering as she pulled back. She looked at him, seeing how beaten down he looked as he adverted her eyes.

She nodded slowly, drawing in a sharp breath. “Okay…” She said softly, then turned to walk out the door.

She grabbed her purse off his kitchen counter, then made her way to the front door, not paying any mind to Jughead following after her. She reached for the doorknob and heard him call after her. “Betty.”

She opened the door and turned to him. He walked over to her with desperation in his eyes and started to open his mouth to talk, but couldn’t seem to get the words out. His longing silence confirmed there was nothing left for him to say.

“460 Main Street, Roosevelt Island,” she said to him.

"What?"

"You said you didn't know where I lived now. _That's_ where I live."

She opened the door wider, putting her foot in front of it to stop it from closing as she gave him one last look before walking out the door. Right when she stepped out into the hallway, she quickly shut the door behind her, then immediately pressed her back against it, letting her emotions run wild. She silently started to weep, unaware of Jughead on the other side of the door, who had his forehead pressed against it. He clenched his fist tightly, letting out a groan of frustration as he banged his hand as hard as he could against the wall next to the door.

The loud noise made her flinch, making her detach herself from the door and started walking down the hall. She turned the corner, headed towards the elevator, and pressed the down button. She sniffled while waiting patiently for the elevator door to slide open, feeling the dampness under her eyes slowly start to dry. A few seconds had gone by before she heard a ding, and wiped the liquid from her eyes, preparing herself to see someone standing on the other side of the door. It started to open, and the first thing she noticed was a few locks of brown hair, then as the door revealed the person on the other side completely, her heart came to a stop. The girl was looking up before she noticed the elevator had opened. She looked past Betty, giving her a friendly smile as she walked off the elevator, not paying attention to Betty looking at her in shock.

She recognized her from the picture Frame sitting on Jughead’s desk. The girl was around the same height as Betty, possibly an inch or two shorter. She was carrying a bag with her left hand, and that was how Betty peeped the rock on her ring finger. She eyed it as the girl strutted past her in her blue jeans and knee-high black boots. She was _pretty._

Almost as pretty as the ring that nearly blinded her as she walked down the hall to Jughead’s door. She stood there for a moment, watching the woman take out her apartment key from her bag and stuck it inside the keyhole. She watched her unscramble the lock, feeling the insecurities eat away at her brain. It was the way she unlocked the door so confidently like she was just a girl going home to her husband. Her husband, who loved and cherished her, was waiting for her on the other side of the door. And they would kiss, and she’d wrap her arms around his neck, smiling like she was the _luckiest_ girl in the universe. There was a twisted moment where Betty envisioned herself in Emily’s place, but she couldn’t get that thought to stay.

Emily finally twisted the doorknob and disappeared inside the apartment. Her breath wavered when she let out a sigh. She walked onto the elevator and pressed the first-floor button before letting her soft sobs start up again.

Jughead was picking up the shards of glass from the floor in the kitchen when Emily walked in.

“Hey,” she said to him as she locked the door behind her.

Jughead shot his head up quickly, turning to the sound of her voice and widened his eyes when he saw her. “Oh…” He swallowed. “Hi.” He stood up with the dustpan in one hand and the broom in the other.

She was perplexed by the sight in front of her. “What are you doing?” She asked as she took her coat off and hung it on the coat rack by the door, then started walking over to him. She noticed the liquid smeared across the floor as well as the glass laying on top of it. “What happened here?” She leaned over, puckering her lips, wanting to greet him with a kiss.

He hesitated before giving her a quick peck and pulled back. “Uh… I just dropped my beer.”

She raised her eyebrows. “You were having a beer at 9:30 in the morning?”

“No, no, no…” He shook his head, feeling his breath quicken. “It was from last night, but I was too tired to clean it up right away, so I told myself I would clean it up in the morning.”

She nodded. “Oh.”

Jughead dumped the pieces of glass in the trash bin and felt a chillness in his body when her cold hand connected to his bare chest. “Did you have fun last night?” She asked, sliding her hand up his chest and around his neck. He nodded slowly as she leaned in and pressed her lips against his. It took him a second before his body reacted to the kiss. With her arms wrapped around his neck, she pulled away and smiled up at him. He squirmed under her hold and tried to erase the distressed look on his face with a smile. 

She unlocked her arms from his neck and placed her hands on his chest. “You look tense. What’s wrong?”

He swallowed, feeling the blood rush up to his face. “Nothing… nothing. I’m just a little hungover, I guess.” He managed a half-smile, trying to lighten his face up.

“Oh, well…” She patted his bare peck, then took a step back from him. “Maybe I should take care of you then.” She gave him a smirk as she headed toward their bedroom. “I’m gonna go take a shower. You’re welcome to join me if you’d like.” She smiled, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as she walked backward. He gave her a small nod as he sucked in a small puff of air. He watched her walk into the bedroom and felt his muscles contract; feet stayed glued to the floor as his insides burned with rage. "Fuck," he said to himself and groaned before hitting the countertop with his fist. 

* * *

The next few days were extremely difficult for Betty. She was having a rough time with work, feeling like she couldn't get through a routine without a short breather. Her clients were extra handsy with her, and maybe she didn't notice it as much before, but she was aware of it now. 

The dark-headed man groped her breasts as she danced on his lap. Betty slyly moved his hands down to her stomach, but he didn't keep them there for very long. The middle-aged man slipped them down to her backside and palmed her cheeks abruptly -- his hands were rough and unpleasant. She cringed slightly as her hips squirmed under his touch. She tried not to look at the wolfish expression on his face -- the lip bite and the hungry eyes he was giving her as he fondled her backside and gave it a quick slap. That was enough for Betty to surrender. She pulled away from his hold, stood up on the floor with her hands up by her head. 

"Could you give me a second, please?"

"Hey, lady, I'm paying you by the song. Song's not over!" He snapped.

"Just give me a minute, please!" She responded, her voice trembly as she walked off and was quickly stopped by her manager stepping in front of her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... What are you doing? Get back out there."

"I..." She said breathlessly. "I can't. I need to, um... I need to go get some fresh air for a minute. I'll be back."

"Wait --" He called after her as she walked towards the dressing room. 

She grabbed her robe from her locker and put it on, then flounced out the back door in tears. She held her face and sobbed into her hands. Luckily, there was no one else around, so she didn't try to hold back the whimpers that flooded uncontrollably out of her mouth. She desperately wanted to stop crying for once, but the tears wouldn't seem to listen.

* * *

"Hey, Gunner." Jughead stood at the front door of his apartment, holding it open as he waved his hand, indicating for him to come in.

Gunner walked in and instantly looked around to see if they were the only ones there. "So, what's up, dude? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Jughead shut the door and walked over to the couch. He seemed a little wired as he rubbed his hands together and sat down on the edge of the couch cushion. Gunner slowly followed and took a seat in the chair right next to him. The raven-haired boy swallowed harshly as he worked up the courage to spit his words out. 

"We had sex," he mumbled under his breath.

Lifting his left eyebrow, then furrowed it down, he didn't hear a word that came out of his friend's mouth. "What?" 

Jughead sighed, then shifted his body, trying to make himself more comfortable. "We had sex," he said a little louder and more confident.

"Who had sex?" 

He rolled his eyes; wishing Gunner would catch on without him having to say it. "I did." 

"You did?"

He gulped. "...and Betty did."

"Wa-" The best man's head and face twitched. "-what?" He pointed his fingers at him, his mouth forming an 'o' shape. "...you and Betty --?" 

"-- had sex," Jughead said briskly.

"What?!" He shouted and jumped up out of his seat, eyes as wide as his forehead. 

Jughead smacked his hands against his face, covering his eyes as he tilted his head down in dismay. "I-I-I don't know what happened..." He shook his head in his hands, then slid them through his hair as he leaned back against the couch. "It just sort of happened --"

"You boned your ex?!" 

Gunner was so loud Jughead was worried the neighbors could hear him. "Shhh!" He hissed. "Sit down and be quiet."

Gunner obliged and plopped back down on the chair. "You boned your ex?" He whispered loudly, causing Jughead to roll his eyes in annoyance. "Yes," he responded.

"I don't know what's wrong with me." He leaned over and rested his elbows on the top of his thighs. "Betty and I just have all this unresolved tension between us. I haven't seen the girl in five years, and she showed up at my apartment in the middle of the night after the party, and there was talking... an- and a lot of alcohol involved, then she kissed me, and it's all one big blur from there." 

"You guys hooked up the same night she gave you a lap dance? The bachelor party night?"

"Yeah."

"Well, no wonder you guys had sex... You still had a stiffy." He snorted. 

"Shut the hell up, Gunner."

"Okay, okay..." He put his hands up in defense. "...but in all seriousness... Was it good?"

Jughead sprang up from the couch and gave his left shoulder a sharp punch. "OW! Damn!" He winced. "I'm sorry!" Gunner exhaled as he rubbed at his shoulder blade, trying to ease the sting, then started rotating his arm. "Jeez."

"Quit being a dick," he commanded as he sat back down.

"I'm sorry, okay? I just don't know how to act right now. You know how immature I get when I get fed serious information."

Jughead scoffed lightly. "Yeah, I know. You're a dick."

Gunner held back a smile, then quickly cleared his throat. "Okay, so... Did you tell Emily about it?"

"No, not yet."

"Not yet? You mean you're gonna tell her eventually?"

"Yes. I have to tell her." 

"No. No, you don't." Gunner anxiously lifted himself up, bending his leg, then sat down on his calf. "Listen, Emily will flip out and call off the wedding."

Jughead's facial expression looked pained as he deeply exhaled, and irritably rubbed his face. "Yeah, I'm aware of the consequences, but I can't just not tell her. She deserves to know the truth. I _cheated_ on her, Gunner!"

"It was a mistake, right?" He asked, and Jughead looked momentarily disconcerted.  "You still wanna be with Emily even after you fulfilled that unresolved sexual tension with your ex, right?"

He stumbled over his words. "Y-yes."

"Then, why ruin that because of one mistake you made?"

"I --" He began, but Gunner quickly cut him off. "Look, I've been your best friend for a while now. I don't really wanna see you crying for the next few months because you told her the truth and she dumped your ass. Believe me, dude, you guys won't be able to come back from this."

Jughead sighed sorrowfully and leaned back against the couch. "Yeah, but what kind of man would I be if I did the same thing I broke up with my ex five years ago for?"

"What'd you break up with her for?"

"She cheated on me..." Jughead admitted, causing Gunner's eyes to dilate with shock. "...then withheld the truth from me because she knew it would hurt me and called the cheating a mistake she said she wasn't going to make again."

His wide-open mouth told Jughead that he never told his ex-roommate the truth about their break up. "Oh... man. I just thought you guys broke up because of long-distance. You never told me about the cheating part." 

"Yeah, I guess I never told you because I didn't like to talk about it. When I went off to college, I wanted to leave my past life in the past." 

"Yeah, it's fine, dude. Don't worry about it. I get it." He scratched his head tensely and repeatedly glanced over at him a few times, debating whether or not he should further the conversation. "So... What happened? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but... who'd she cheat on you with?"

Slumped back against the couch cushion, Jughead stared up at the ceiling. "My best friend at the time."

"Damn... That's rough," Gunner replied. 

"They kissed a couple of times and confessed some sort of feelings for each other." He continued. "They were secretly hanging out behind my back for like a week, and I didn't find out until prom, which was like a month later."

"Wait, so... she had feelings for the dude she was cheating on you with, but broke it off with him because she loved you and wanted to be with you?" Gunner asked with a perplexed look. 

"Yeah, that's what she said."

"And then, you dumped her once she told you about it?"

Jughead irritably folded his arms at his chest, giving a slightly pouted lip as he stared at the floor. "Well, not right after, no. We had a discussion about our future, and she said she wanted to be with me and wanted to get married after college, which I considered even after she told me about the cheating. I wanted to make the long-distance thing work, but I was too angry still, and I didn't know if I could ever fully trust her again, so I ended it."

"Wow..." he responded. "Screw her, man. You have Emily now."

Jughead scoffed at his friend's stupidity. "Yeah, but I lost Emily the second I let Betty give me a lap dance."

"No, you didn't," he retorted. "You can still go through with the wedding."

"Gunner --"

He brought his leg down and repositioned himself in the chair. "Think about it, Jones," he began, and Jughead immediately started shaking his head. "This wouldn't just break you guys up; it would _destroy_ her. Think if it were the other way around, and she fucked her ex, but decided it was a mistake and realized she still loved you and wanted to marry you. It would crush you."

Jughead had already lived through that reality. He started to feel that rage he felt five years ago when the love of his life was able to look him right in the eye and lie to his face. For a month, she pretended as if nothing had happened. Like she didn't confess her love for another man. It was the thought that she could lie to his face while giving him that same vibrant smile that scared him the most. If only she had told him after it happened.... things might've been different. 

"I'd still wanna know," he said softly under his breath. 

* * *

The next night, Betty walked out of the dressing room of the club, looking glum and irritated. "Do you think you can do your job tonight?" Her manager asked her as he walked up beside her. She cleared her throat and placed her hands on her hips with a bit of attitude. 

"Yes."

"I don't wanna see you walk out on a customer again, or you're fired. Got it?" His voice was stern, and his devilish eyes made her a little squeamish. 

"Yeah," she responded.

"Good, there's a guy over there for you." He pointed in the direction of a man sitting alone in front of the stage. She wobbled over to him in her high heels and positioned herself in front of the stage.

The man seemed to be in his early forties or late thirties. He had olive skin and dark hair with a touch of facial hair around his mouth. "Hi, I'm Rose," she said with a charming smile.

"Nice to meet you, Rose." His dimples on his cheeks appeared when he grinned up at her and held out his hand for her to shake it. 

"What's your name?" She asked as she grabbed his clammy hand and placed it on her waist before she climbed onto his lap and stationed herself there. 

"Jay Salvatore," he said, letting out a breathy laugh. 

"Salvatore... Is that Italian or something?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and started swaying her hips back and forth. 

Blushing from her attendance on his lap, he chuckled softly. "Yeah, it is, actually. It means savior, I think."

"Ah..." She guided her fingers up his arms, then gently placed one under his chin, lifting it a little and brought her mouth up to his ear. "Do you come here often, Mr. Salvatore?" 

"No, this would be my first time to this strip joint." 

She pulled back. "Oh, well, welcome. Do you like it so far?"

"Oh, absolutely," he said while nodding his head and raked his eyes over her body. "You are... beyond gorgeous. Wow."

Betty beamed brightly, feeling a boost of confidence wash over her. "Thank you," she said, and guided the waistband of her black thong up to her hip bone and let the band snap back against her skin. 

He raised his eyebrows and removed his hands from her waist to tightly grip the arms on the chair. "You married?"

She shook her head, chewing her bottom lip between her teeth, and got off of him.

"Boyfriend?" 

"Nope," she replied while she placed herself between his legs and continued to rock her hips. 

"That's extremely hard to believe. I'm sure there are guys lining up to be with you, huh?" He adjusted himself in the seat as he stared in awe at her artistic movements. 

"No..." She choked and exhaled slowly. "Not really. Uh..." She circled around him, hand danced from shoulder to shoulder before she stopped in front of him, and awkwardly smiled. "I haven't had a boyfriend in five years."

"What?!" He squawked, and his eyes broadened in surprise. "You're joking."

"Why, do you wanna be my boyfriend or something?" She placed her hands on his shoulders and flexed her butt out as she swung it side to side, making an infinity shape with her hips. 

He cleared his throat, then lifted his left hand in front of her eye range to show her the ring on his finger. "I am married, actually."

She gazed at the tiny piece of titanium wrapped around his left ring finger and smiled faintly. "Your wife know you're here with me?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"Really?" She let go of his shoulders, straightening herself back up. "So... she lets you get lap dances from strippers?" She asked teasingly while putting her hands on her hips. 

"Yup," he retorted, tilting his head down, and slyly grinned. "She doesn't have a problem with it."

"Your wife seems cool." 

"She is."

Betty smiled and knelt down on her knees, placing her hands on top of his knees and paused momentarily. "And to answer your question about the boy thing..." She inhaled sharply as she stared into his receiving eyes. "I'm actually currently in love with a guy who's getting married to someone else."

"Oh, wow... Ex-boyfriend?"

"Yeah," she mumbled cheerlessly, then sat back on her heels. 

"Well, I wouldn't worry about that too much," he responded, looking unconcerned.

She scooted an inch closer, left brow raised to its peak, "what do you mean?"

"If you guys love each other, then you'll find your way back to one another."

"Oh..." She said, her head tilted down, and she worried he could tell how beaten down she looked. "I'm not so sure about that. The wedding's in less than two weeks. It's already too late."

She stared down at her fingernails, picking at the nails beds as she fought the awkward and uncomfortable feeling awakening inside her. 

"You know..." He exhaled. "I was just friends with my wife when she was engaged to another man," he began, and she shot her head back up, expressing a state of bewilderedness from his confession. "I even went to their wedding."

"What happened?" She asked curiously.

"Well... she realized last minute she couldn't go through with it. I mean, we weren't in love at the time or anything. We were just friend co-workers, and I was there to comfort her after she walked out on her wedding. It was a good thing I was at that wedding, though, because otherwise, she wouldn't have gone home with me that night, and we might've never gotten as close as we did."

Betty nodded, processing the words that were coming out of his mouth and inhaled every one carefully. 

"Point is... there's no such thing as 'too late,' okay? Love always finds its way," he said softly before leaning closer to her with his mouth slightly parted, eager to feed the young stripper's awaiting ears. "No matter how far it got lost in the first place."

Her eyes were fixated on his attentively. Like she had just come across some big revelation that made her reflect on her own life choices. She never doubted for a second that Jughead was the love of her life. That was pretty clear. It was just fairly evident that _she_ wasn't the love of _his_ life _._


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Decided to make this 5 chapters instead of 4.

Jughead waited patiently for his finaceé to return home from work. He had the urge to down a couple of beers but knew it would be best to do this sober. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at his reflection, reciting in his head the dreadful words he would soon confess to her. He clenched the sink tightly in frustration and took a deep breath. He didn't want to ruin what he had with her, but the reoccurring thoughts of Betty in his mind drove him insane. He figured he only thought of her because of the guilt that was eating away at him, and he hoped telling Emily the truth would get rid of some of that guilt. 

"Babe?" He heard her call from the living room. "I'm home!"

His heart raced from the familiar sound of her comforting voice. The voice that also made his stomach churn. He gave himself one last glimpse in the mirror, then loosened his grip on the sink. 

From the kitchen, Emily had set her bag down on the counter and was removing her coat as she browsed through a Cosmopolitan magazine. 

He slowly walked out of their bedroom.

"Hey," she said with a wide smile. "How was your day?"

"Uh... fine--okay, I guess," he lied. 

Truthfully, his day was terrible, and it didn't help knowing that it was about to get a whole lot worse. He walked over to the living room couch that was still visible from the kitchen and sat down on it.

"My day was hectic." She flipped the magazine page a little too aggressively and Jughead could automatically tell she was already in a bad mood.

"Why? what happened?" He positioned himself at the edge of the couch, looking concerned.

"Oh, it's nothing." She blew it off with a wave of her hand. "Just... you know, work is all."

 _Oh, crap._ He rubbed at his face, stressing at the thought of adding even more chaos to her day. He shook his leg anxiously, then his fingers started fiddling with the crown on his watch. 

"Hey, Em?" 

She looked up from the magazine, and he found himself memorizing the way she looked; leaned against the countertop with her brown hair dangling over her shoulder in a messy braid. He was taking a mental picture of her.

_One that he wished would last._

"Can I talk to you, please? I have something that I need to tell you."

Her eyebrows drooped, eyes glanced at him with worry. "Uh, sure." She closed her magazine, then walked over to the chair by the couch and sat down. 

Jughead repositioned his bottom on the couch cushion, making himself more comfortable. He faced her, braced his elbows on top of his thighs, gazing at the floor.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

He kept silent for a moment, his body language must've given the tone of his feelings away because her face crowded with more worry.

"Jughead, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

He sighed, pain lasering out of his eyes. He reached for her hand in her lap and held it while he worked up the courage to speak. "Okay, I honestly don't know the right way to tell you this, so I'm just gonna come right out and say it."

She nodded, ears perked up, giving him her full attention. 

He held in his breath, feeling like he was about to explode and he knew once he took the next breath, the statement would fly out with it.

"I cheated on you," he blurted out.

"What?" She raised her eyebrows, utterly mystified by his confession.

It was difficult looking her in the eye, but Jughead couldn't seem to look away from the horror expression on her face. 

"Okay, here's the thing..." he began. "Gunner had gotten a stripper for the Bachelor party, and I--" 

"Oh..." Her eyes relaxed in realization. She retreated her hand from his, grabbed her chest, letting out a sigh of relief. "You scared me for a second."

He slanted his brow, looking muddled. "What?"

"I figured he was going to get you a stripper." She rolled her eyes playfully. "It's Gunner. I'm not an idiot."

"Well, I --"

"It's fine, baby." She interrupted. "I'm not mad."

He swallowed, having difficulty getting his words out. "...um."

"You guys were probably drunk out of your minds, I'm assuming, so whatever you guys did with the stripper, I don't really wanna hear about it," she responded.

"No, Emily. You _do_ wanna hear about it."

"I know all the moves in the book, okay?"

He wanted to interrupt her, spit the words out that he had been practicing over and over in the bathroom, but the more she kept talking, the deeper the words buried themselves in the back of his throat.

"Whether she rubbed her butt against your crotch, made you feel her up, or licked your face," she continued, "I'd rather not have that image in my head. It's just her job. I'll let it slide." She smiled softly at him -- a smile she knew would shut him up. "I appreciate that you wanted to tell me about it, though." She rubbed the top of his thigh lovingly, then stood up from the chair.

"Emily." He scoffed. "You don't understand."

"Jughead, it's not a big deal." She put her hand on her hip and took a deep breath. "The girls got me a male stripper for my bachelorette party, and halfway in, I stuck money down my bra and made him pull it out with his teeth," she confessed.

He opened his mouth, peering at her in shock. "I'm sorry, what?"

She chuckled. "Yeah... I was slightly hammered."

His eyes looked like they were about to bug out of their sockets. 

Unbothered, she walked to the kitchen. "What do you want for dinner?"

He shook his head in disbelief, having a difficult time reacting to their conversation properly due to his bewildered state. "Uh... I'm not-I'm not really hungry."

"Oooh! I'm kind of craving Chinese food."

"Emily, I'm not done with this conversation yet."

She held up her index finger. "One second." She picked up her phone, dialed a number, then held the phone up to her ear. She waited for someone to pick up on the other line -- "yes, hi. I want to place an order for delivery. You guys still have that spicy orange chicken, right?" 

Jughead sat there frozen, heart pounding so hard in his chest that he couldn't hear the muffled voice on the other line. 

"Okay, awesome," she replied, then headed to their bedroom door. "I'll take an order of that." She opened the door and walked inside. "What about your sides? Does it come with a side?"

After she closed the door behind her, Jughead couldn't hear any longer. He squeezed his eyes shut in aggregation, sprang back against the pillows on the couch, and angrily balled his right hand in a fist.

* * *

Later that night, Jughead was watching TV in their bedroom. He scanned through the channels, finding himself indecisively going back and forth from one channel to another. He repeatedly did this for five minutes while the thoughts of Betty underneath him burned through his mind. Every time an image of her smiling popped up inside his head, he pushed the buttons on the remote harder. 

_Betty._

_Betty._

_Betty._

_Betty._

_Betty._

He clutched the remote angrily and threw it against the wall. He immediately regretted that decision, burying his face in his right hand, then rubbed the outer part of his eyelids.

He felt like a coward, having been prolonging the secret he kept from his fiancée that would rip their relationship apart. He felt like he owed his world to her, his future, his present, but nothing seemed big enough to make up for the damage he had caused.

The constant lingering presence of Betty in his mind urged him to get up from his bed to go finally tell Emily the truth. He opened the bedroom door, making his way into the living room, head down and eyes closed in shame.

"Okay, Emily," he started. "I really need to talk to you about something that happened--" He stopped when he lifted his head up. Emily was passed out on the couch, empty Chinese food boxes on the coffee table with the TV playing on low volume, and the blanket barely covering her legs.

He sighed at the sight. She looked so peaceful laying on her back. He walked over to her still body and pulled the blanket over her. He leaned down, planted a soft kiss on her forehead, then grabbed the remote from the table, and turned off the TV. He sat down in the chair next to her and just watched her heavily breathe in and out of her nose for minutes that night.

He could wait to tell her _tomorrow_.

* * *

Days had gone by, and Jughead still hadn't told her. Emily's stressed out state increased as the wedding got closer. Early wedding gifts from family members who couldn't make it were arriving in the mail, as well as wedding invitations from people RSVPing.

At this point, Jughead was Emily's last concern. He sat there, watching the chaos unfold in front of him. Emily's parents had arrived in town, and he could feel the opportunity to tell Emily slip through his fingers.

Meanwhile, Betty was waiting patiently in a booth at a local modernized diner. She had called up an old friend she hadn't seen in a while. 

The dark-haired girl walked through the front door of the diner and saw Betty sitting alone in the booth closest to the door. She lit up immediately when her eyes locked with hers. 

"Betty Cooper." The girl sparked a comforting smile that gave Betty a sense of relief. She was dazzling head to toe in charm and elegance. 

"Veronica Lodge," she said.

"May I sit?"

Betty gave a quick nod, gesturing for her to sit down. "So..." Veronica took a seat, setting her purse down right beside her. "I'm not gonna fib, Betty, I was surprised you called. I haven't seen or heard from you in a while."

"I know," she sighed. "The last time you and I talked to each other, I had just moved to the city, and I needed a friend to help me out."

"Yeah, I apologize for not reaching out to you recently. I've been extremely busy with business and family dilemmas." She rolled her eyes and picked up the glass of water on the table. "You know, the usual," she said and took a sip.

"Oh, that's okay," Betty replied. "Phone goes both ways. I haven't reached out to you either."

Veronica flicked her brows up and down, reached across the table, retrieved one of Betty's curly fries off her plate, and popped it into her mouth. "So," she started, chewing the fry in her mouth, then sucked the salt off the tip of her finger. "I'm guessing you didn't call me to ask how Archie and I are doing. Why'd you really call me here today, huh?" She leaned closer. "What's been going on with Betty Cooper?"

The blonde's expression turned cold. She swallowed harshly, then cleared her throat. "I called to ask you for a favor."

"Huh... figures."

Betty smiled timidly, watching Veronica reach for another one of her fries. "Are you... are you invited to Jughead's wedding?"

She immediately let out a cough, choking on the half-eaten french fry after it fled down the wrong pipe. She hadn't heard her friend bring up her ex in a long time. "Uh..." She cleared her throat, trying to soothe the part that got scratched by the piece of food. "...yeah, why?"

"Well..." Betty swallowed in the middle of her sentence. "I've been thinking a lot lately... I know this is the last thing I should be asking, but..."

"...you want to go to his wedding," Veronica interrupted, now grasping her friend's intentions. 

Betty looked at her nervously and nodded slowly. "Yeah." 

"Betty..." she started, pausing for a few seconds, staring down at the table. "Do you really think that's such a good idea?" Betty opened her mouth to respond, but Veronica continued. "I mean, not just for his sake, but for yours. Could you really handle watching your ex get married to another woman?"

Betty took a long-lasting, deep breath, easing her way into what she was about to say, but Veronica seemed eager to get her point across. "That would be devastating. I don't care how long it's been since you and Jughead talked, you don't want to see that. _Trust_ me," she said, emphasizing the word "trust."

"Veronica, before Jughead and I dated for a few years, we were friends," she responded quickly. "He was a person I considered a _really good_ friend."

She was being honest. Her, Archie and Jughead were childhood pals before the chaos changed that town indefinitely, and despite the inevitable pain it would cause her, she would feel left out if she didn't go. 

"I just want to attend my friend's wedding." Betty looked at her, eyes kind and hopeful. 

Veronica deeply breathed in, exhaling harshly out. She was stressed at the thought of how Jughead and his fiancée would react if she invited Betty to be her plus one. 

"Okay, let's say you can handle it... Not to be rude or anything, but do you really think Jughead would want you there? Do you really think Emily, Jughead's fiancée, would want you there at her wedding? I mean... yeah, you guys were good friends when you both were kids, and then you dated and fell in love or whatever, but how long has it been since you've had an actual conversation with him? The last time you and I talked, you said that you and Jughead haven't seen or heard from each other since the break-up, which was five _years_ ago, B. You two have mutual friends, sure, but let's be real... you're strangers now."

Those words felt like swords to her. Some of what Veronica was saying wasn't true, but it still felt like a puncture wound. Betty desperately wanted to tell her about the hook up her and Jughead had a few nights night ago, but she couldn't. The truth might put a strain on a relationship she already emotionally tore apart. 

"I know Jughead and I are pretty much strangers now, but that still doesn't erase the years I spent in his life. He probably will be too involved with his bride and family members to notice me anyway. You guys might not even get to talk either," she replied.

Veronica tilted her head slightly, soaking in her words, and it seemed she didn't have a retorted comment. She just looked at Betty with a softened expression and sighed.

Betty managed a smile when she realized Veronica had caved to her invitational request.

* * *

It was a few days before the wedding, and Jughead needed a breather. He found himself in front of the gas station smoking a pack of cigarettes he impulsively bought with some of the remaining few dollars in his wallet. The sun was beaming on him, and the last thing he wanted was to sweat while smelling like a chimney. He discarded the last cigarette, then walked to his car where he would eventually have to drive himself home, but not right now. He had left the apartment originally because Emily was fuming at his presence, constantly lingering around her while she made some last-minute wedding decisions. If he drove home reeking of sweat and smoke, he knew she'd angrily kick him out. He got in and shut the door behind him, then sat there thinking of places he could go for a little while. There was one place he was closer to than his apartment. It was a bad idea he tried his hardest to shake out of his head, but couldn't.

The next thing he knew, he was _sitting_ in front of the club his ex-girlfriend worked at. 

* * *

The music pounded in his chest as he walked through the building. He scanned the area, eyes bouncing off every girl, trying to find the blonde he was looking for.

He turned to a brunette girl holding a tray full of drinks. 

"Uh..." He tapped her shoulder. "Excuse me?" 

She turned around, and once she got a good look at him, she instantly grinned. 

"Hi, handsome," she said with a flirtatious smile, biting back her bottom lip as her eyes scanned him up and down. "How can I help you?"

"Uh... I--I'm looking for a girl that works here. I'm not familiar with her hours, so she might not even be here right now, but I was hoping--" He was cut off by harsh tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw her standing just inches in front of him. His eyes tried not to pop at the sight of her in a skimpy black g-string, a bra, and thigh-high black fishnet stockings.

"Hi--" He gulped. "Jesus, Betty." He shifted his eyes to the floor. "Sorry, I'm just not used to seeing you like this."

"What are you doing here?" She asked, seemingly surprised, but clearly aggravated at his arrival.

"Can we talk?" He bravely managed to move his eyes up to hers. "Please?"

She sighed and looked over at her boss, who was watching her like a hawk. "I'm on thin ice with my boss, can you talk while I give you a lap dance?"

"Uh... All I have in my wallet is a five-dollar bill," he said, digging into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Would you settle for five?" He asked, pulling out the five dollars and held it in front of him for her to take.

She sighed and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "That's fine." She took the money from him and stuck it inside her bra. "But we should make this quick then because I make most of my money from tips." She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him down to the chair. He instantly grabbed ahold of the armrests once he sat down. He was a bit taken aback by her forceful demeanor. 

"Ever had a lap dance from someone who wasn't me?" She asked as she straddled his lap, her body supported by her knees on either side of his thighs.

He opened his mouth, "n--" then paused and waited a few seconds like he had to think about it, "--no." 

Betty started to dance on his lap, then stopped when she got distracted by a smokey smell. She scrunched her nose, leaned in, and took a whiff of his shirt. "Is that you?" She pulled back and gave him a disapproving look. "Have you been smoking?"

It was just a few cigarettes, but he still hesitated after she asked because he knew she never approved of the terrible habit. "...yeah," he replied.

"You smoke now?" Her eyebrows raised in shock. "When did you start?"

"I didn't." He let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't usually smoke, okay? I had a few cigarettes before I came here because I've been a little stressed lately. Not a big deal."

She closed her eyes, hiding the eye roll underneath her lids. "Stressed because of the wedding?" She asked, maintaining the polite, but fake curiosity she had about his life. She was curious, but she wasn't sure if she could handle hearing about it. She grabbed the back of his chair and started swaying her hips side to side, which caused him to clench the arms on the chair even harder as he ogled her body.

He quickly became aware of where he was looking, then snapped his attention down to the fishnet stockings surrounding her thighs, trying his hardest not to let his eyes drift elsewhere. He bit back his bottom lip and started gnawing at it. "Sort of." 

"Well, that sounds like a normal thing. You're supposed to be stressed about your wedding." She continued the same hip rhythm, following the beat to the music.

"Yeah, but it's not just the wedding I'm worried about. I'm stressed about telling Emily the truth..." He paused and looked up at her face. "...about what happened between you and me." 

She stopped dancing and looked down at him. "What?" She couldn't tell if she heard him right, but she was pretty certain she did. "You're planning on telling her?"

He gave a confident head nod, and she widened her eyes in surprise. "Wow."

"What? Is that wrong?"

"No... no. I guess I just didn't expect that. You were talking about your wedding like it's--I don't know... like it's something that's definitely going to happen. I just assumed you weren't planning on telling her." She didn't even notice she had sat down on his lap, legs bent underneath her. She was face-level with him now. He didn't seem to mind that she was resting on his lap.

"Oh, no. I just... I have to tell her the truth because if I don't then--" He parted his lips and sucked in a breath like he was going to say something else but got cold feet and held back. "I don't know." He sighed. "Look, I know you don't want to hear about Emily or the wedding, and I'm not really in the mood to talk about either one of them right now anyway."

She tilted her brows, giving him a confused look. "Then... what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, um," he mumbled under his breath, breaking eye contact with her by shifting his focus to the floor as he tapped his right thumb repeatedly against the armrest, "I--I wanted to ask you..." He cleared his throat, getting ready to spit out the question. "After you broke that little fling off with Archie... I know you didn't tell me about it for a while because you said you didn't want to hurt my feelings..."

She nodded.

"Was that the only reason why you didn't tell me, or did a part of you not want to say anything because you still had feelings for him?"

"Oh, wow..." She rested her hands on her thighs and gave them a few nervous strokes. 

"I know whatever answer you give me won't change anything, but I just really need to know," he added.

"Yeah, It's okay. I--um, just don't know what to really say." She smiled while letting out an anxious breath and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think my feelings for Archie were as strong as I thought at the time. I ended things with him because I loved you and I wanted to be with you. And I told you eventually because--well, because I loved _you,_ and I felt like if I didn't tell you, then that would've somehow confirmed the things I felt for Archie." She cringed at her attempt to tell the full truth and blushed lightly. "I don't know if that makes any sense."

He scrunched his eyebrows, looking puzzled at the ground. "So, you're saying if you didn't tell me about you and Archie... then, that would've meant that you had some sort of feelings for him that you didn't want to let go of?"

It was harder to explain than grasp, but he still managed to translate it correctly. "Yeah... Yeah, I guess I am saying that."

He lifted his head up, looked at her softly, and nodded slowly. Betty glanced over at her boss, leaned against the bar; he was now giving her a smoldering stare. She quickly lifted herself up from his lap and groaned in irritation. "Ugh." She linked her arms around his neck, and once again artistically motioned her hips side to side. "Sorry, my boss is still watching."

Jughead turned his head to the boss and saw a man in a suit standing there watching them, then turned back to her. "That's kind of creepy. Why is he only watching you?"

"I walked out on a customer the other day, so he's extra pissed at me. I think he suspects that you're a friend and not an actual customer."

"Oh..." He awkwardly adjusted himself on the seat. "I--" He swallowed. "I can pretend like I'm into it."

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

He hesitantly removed his hands from the armrests. "I--I mean, I can touch you... if you want me to," he suggested, and Betty's eyes widened. "Touch me?"

"Yeah," he replied. "It might make it look more believable. Don't your other guy customers have their hands all over you usually?" He looked at her, waiting for an answer that he knew he didn't want to hear.

She nodded, "yeah," then eyed her boss again, noticing his smoldering stare changed to a suspicious one. The suspicion motivated her to quickly agree to his touching suggestion. "Okay--yes."

"I just don't want you to lose your job because of me," he said.

She gave him a slight kind smile, kept her knees locked on the chair as she stared down at him. He respectively kept his eyes on hers as she grabbed the back of the chair, sat back, then thrust her chest forward.

"Um--uh, where do people usually touch you?" He asked nervously and kept his hands floating in the air near her hips, then jumped a little when he felt her hand grab his.

She couldn't help but smile at his skittish behavior as she placed his hand on her waist. "You can touch me wherever you want, but..." She leaned in to his ear and whispered, "...all you have to do is ask for permission." 

Those words made his stomach drop. He kept his hands still, unable to move them as he looked at her apprehensively.

"Jughead, I'm kidding. You've touched _every_ single inch of my body before, so there's really no reason to be weird about this."

"I know--okay, _I_ _know!_ " He quickly withdrew his hand from her waist, pulling it back as if her skin had just burned him. "I'm just not used to this. I don't know how to do this."

"Okay, relax," she ordered, grabbing his hands and gently placed them at her hip. "Just move your hands with the motion of my body. Let them do the talking and stop thinking so much."

He nodded and took a deep breath before he started caressing her hips, moving his hands down the side of her legs, then back up to her hips. He did this while she swayed her body side to side. "There you go," she said quietly. "Just like that."

She leaned in, moving her body in a worm-like movement, almost brushing her chest against his every time. He focused his mind on the touching aspect of it, forcing his hands to stay in a safe zone at her hips and legs.

She continued dancing like that for several minutes. Her breathing grew heavier, and for some reason, his did too. Their breaths were both in sync with each other, eyes focused on one another's and their faces just a few inches apart. Jughead tried to focus on the strands of her hair falling over her face to distract himself from how _beautiful_ she looked. Paying attention to the hair only caused his hand to absentmindedly come up to her cheek. His fingertips paused against her flesh, realizing how intimate this gesture was, but then proceeded to tuck the strands of hair behind her ear anyway. 

Betty froze when he touched her face, then remembered what they were doing and wondered if her boss was still watching them. She looked up only for her to see that he wasn't standing there anymore. She rested herself on his lap again, Jughead's fingers still delicately positioned behind her ear. "Um, we can stop now. He's gone."

He nodded, then slowly retreated his hand from her face. He was aware of how long she stared into his eyes after she suggested they stopped. After a few seconds of him switching back and forth between gazing into her eyes, then down at her parted lips, he lost control of his mind, not able to think any longer and leaned in.

As he leaned in, he slid his hands up her thighs, lusting for her lips, and just barely got to skim his bottom lip against hers before she pulled away. His mouth quivered in mid-air at the loss of contact. 

"Jug..." she said softly under her breath, the exhale she let out turned into a trembling one.

She was surprised at the disappointment on his face after her lips rejected his. She expected him to disapprove of his mistake and immediately pull away from her... but he didn't.

He just sat there, eyes gleamed with soreness as he tried to comprehend what he had just done. "I'm sorry..." he whispered quietly.

"Jughead, I was just being nice before when you asked if we could talk..." she said with a quiet voice, then got off of his lap and stood in front of him. "...but now, I think it's time for you to go."

He looked like his whole world had just slipped through his fingers. One by one, every muscle, every bone, every inch of him went numb. After he broke eye contact with her, he stared at the floor momentarily as if he was waiting for something--a question, an answer, a reason, but nothing spilled out of either one of their mouths. He rubbed his hands together, then nodded slowly, still unable to look at her and got up from the chair.

He stood in front of her, hesitating to walk away, then gave her a slight nod before he turned away and headed for the door. 

"Go home to your wife, Jug," she added before he got too far.

He stopped walking, then turned back to her. He breathed in deeply, his eyes tender and soft under her gaze. "She's not my wife."

Betty nearly choked when she recognized that familiar expression on his face and tone in his voice. Her mind immediately drifted to the vivid memory in her head of him telling her he loved Emily when they were in bed together that one morning. He had the same eyes, same voice, same look on his face. The irony of it sent chills to the back of her neck, causing her to gulp the saliva lingering in her throat.

There was a furrow in both her brows when examining his expression, soaking it in slowly before she relaxed her face, eyes stayed rigidly on his. "No, but she will be."

He swallowed while clenching his jaw, shoulders slumped forward slightly, accidentally exhibiting discouraging body language. He gave her one last longing look like he was saying goodbye to her telepathically before he turned away and headed for the exit again.

A few seconds went by, and Betty peacefully watching the ex-love of her life walk out of her work was suddenly interrupted when she felt a firm hand grab her ass.

"Hey!" She immediately jumped from the inappropriate touch and tried to push the man away from her, but he kept both of his hands on her backside, then pressed the front of himself against her. "Don't touch me like that!" She jolted her body away from him once she felt the bulge in his pants against her ass. "Asshole!"

Jughead was about to push the door open when he heard Betty's voice in the background. He turned his head back quickly, nearly snapping his neck, and his face immediately inflamed with rage once he saw what was happening.

"HEY!" He barked, then shoved some people out of the way when he marched over to Betty and the guy. He grabbed the man's shirt and yanked him away from her. "Don't touch her!" He pushed him back, and the guy lost control of his balance for a second, almost tumbling over his feet. 

Betty saw the guy's anger build, then noticed Jughead wasn't backing down and continued to move closer to him. "Jughead, stop," she demanded, but he didn't listen.

The man scoffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "You're kidding, right?" 

"Touch her without her permission again, and I'll fucking kill you," he warned.

"Young man, you're like 160 lbs. What the hell are you going to do?"

And without warning, Jughead balled his hand in a fist and swung at the guy's face as hard as he could, almost knocking him to the ground.

"Jughead!" Betty yelled as the crowd gasped and started gathering around the scene. "Jughead, that's enough! Stop!" Jughead smirked to himself and shook his hand out.

The man grabbed his face in pain and slowly straightened himself back up. He looked down at the hand that was holding his cheek, noticing a few drops of blood on it. The next time he lifted his head up to look at Jughead, there was even more rage in his eyes. "You heard the lady. That's enough," he hissed, clenching his fist at his side, then swung even harder at him, striking Jughead in the face, causing him to fall to the ground.

From surprise, Betty sucked in a vacuum of air, then dropped to her knees at Jughead's side and ran her fingers through his hair worriedly. "Jug." Before she could ask if he was okay, Jughead shot up in fury and tackled the guy to the ground. Another man tried to interfere, but Jughead shoved him back, then proceeded to pin the pervy man to the ground and started punching him repeatedly.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" A few bystanders chanted in the back, which seemed to only encourage Jughead even more because he was hitting him harder now. The man tried to interject by yelling for help and tried swatting his arms away and getting a few hits in himself, but he was too weak and eventually stopped fighting back, letting Jughead continue to hit him.

The bouncer from the front came storming over to the fight and tried grabbing ahold of Jughead's shirt, attempting to pull him off, but he wouldn't budge. He then gripped his biceps and used all of his strength to heave him off of the man laying on the ground.

Jughead tried to protest, elbowing the bouncer in the rib cage, then gave up when he realized he wasn't going to be able to fight him off.

"What in god's name is going on here?!" The manager asked as he walked up to them.

Betty quickly got to her feet once her boss started talking. He hovered over the man laying on the floor and stuck his hand out for him to grab it. Once he got to his feet, the manager glared at Betty, then at Jughead, and pointed to both of them, "I need _you_ and _you_ in my office immediately." 

Jughead rolled his eyes and wiped the blood dripping from his bottom lip with his thumb. He looked at Betty, who had her hands on her hips and was giving her boss a frustrated look.

Moments later, they were sitting in front of her boss's desk. Betty was now dressed in more clothes, and Jughead was holding an ice pack up to his face. It was silent in the room before her boss walked through the door. He made a loud entrance, making sure both of them turned their heads to look up at him as he walked to his chair and sat down in it.

"All right..." He situated himself in the chair and tossed the clipboard he was holding down on the desk. "Anyone care to explain what the hell happened out there?"

Betty side-eyed Jughead, wondering if he would start talking first, then sighed when he kept his mouth shut. She cleared her throat as she crossed her right leg over her left one. "I was minding my business when this random guy grabbed my ass with both his hands, started rubbing his... area against it..." she swallowed, "...and wouldn't let go until I pushed him off."

Jughead's head shot up, eyes filled with uneasiness.

"Jughead here saw what was happening and defended me. Then... I don't know. They just started punching and tackling each other."

"He rubbed himself against you?" Jughead was still clearly fuming about the situation. "I'm gonna kill him."

Before she could respond, the manager interrupted. "We have a no violence policy here at the club, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to ban you from coming here ever again."

"Okay, whatever," Jughead started, "but what about the guy who sexually _harassed_ her?"

"I told our bouncer to kick him out. He is banned, as well," the boss said, then turned his attention to Betty. "As for you, Miss Cooper, I have given you too many warnings already. This was your last one."

"What did I do?" She asked, raising her voice that almost resembled a shriek. "Defend myself?"

"No, you and this boy are clearly involved with each other somehow. Whether he's your friend, boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, husband, cousin, I don't care. It goes against our company policy to have your personal relationships interfere with your work." Betty opened her mouth to respond, but he continued over her. "You wasted ten minutes talking to this guy." He glared at Jughead. "Do you know how much money this girl could've made in those ten minutes?"

He shook his head and murmured, "no."

" _Sixty_ dollars."

Jughead raised his eyebrows and slumped back in his chair, feeling embarrassed about the whole situation. "Oh," he said softly under his breath.

"Yeah, and how much money did you give her for your ten-minute lap dance?" He gave him a fake smile and rested his chin on the back of his hands.

Betty exhaled loudly, knowing very well she was about to get fired.

Jughead paused for a few seconds, hesitating to give an honest answer. "...five dollars."

" _Five_ dollars," the manager repeated loudly and slammed his hand down on the desk. "All the money you could've made, and you let this guy take that away from you?"

"I can give you more money," Jughead said to Betty. "I just need to use the ATM machine." He lifted himself off the chair, getting ready to rush out of the room, but Betty put her hand out in front to stop him.

"No, Jughead, it's fine," she said with a reassuring voice. "You don't owe me anything."

Her boss scoffed, then leaned back against his chair. "Well, since you want to act unprofessional, then you're no longer needed here." He leaned in, locking eyes with Betty as he rested his arms on the desk. "You're fired."

"What?! You can't do that," she exclaimed.

"I can, and I just did." He pointed to both of them. "You two can see yourselves out."

"But I--" she began, but Jughead quickly cut her off. "Sir, please. Don't punish Betty for this. It was all me, okay? She told me to leave, but I didn't listen."

"I don't know why you're even still here. I banned you," he said, waving his finger at him, then pointed at the door. "Off you go."

Jughead and Betty turned their heads towards each other, looking at one another. Betty was so enraged, she felt like she was going to burst into tears any second. Jughead giving her an apologetic look didn't help either. 

A few minutes later, she was storming off to her car with Jughead following behind. "Betty, wait!"

"Leave me alone, Jughead!"

Even though she could feel the tears coming, her voice didn't tremble, which she greatly appreciated. She had broken down way too many times in front of him in the last couple of weeks, and she couldn't bare to have him see her vulnerable side _again_.

"Look, I'm sorry!" He said with a remorseful voice. She got to her car and tossed her things into the back, then made her way over to the driver's side. 

"Yeah, sorry's been coming out of your mouth a lot lately," she retorted, rolling her eyes at him before she got in her car.

Jughead stood there, huffed out a breath, and ran his fingers through his hair in defeat. He watched her back out of the parking spot and moved out of the way because she was close to hitting him. He had the urge to rip his hair out right then and there. He crashed his hands together in frustration, flexing his jaw out and groaned loudly when he let her drive away.


End file.
